Cabotage
by AllISeeAreStars
Summary: It started with a collision, then an embarrassing call, and morphed into something neither of them expected.
1. Collision

**Cabotage: n. – coastal navigation; the exclusive right of a country to control the air traffic within its borders**  
 **NOT: v. – to sabotage with cabbage and/or Vermont Cabot Cheese.**

Chapter one: Collision

Spencer Reid was running exactly two minutes and thirteen seconds behind schedule. As he jogged down the steps of his apartment complex, trying to catch up, he reprimanded himself for forgetting he needed to change the batteries in his alarm clock. He wasn't usually so out of it, but this last case had reminded him too much of his own abduction. His mind had been, for lack of a better word, fuzzy, since they received the case- causing Hotch to ask him five times, and almost a sixth, whether or not it was going to be too much to handle.

He had come straight home after they landed, taken a hasty shower, and flopped in his bed to rest for twelve coma-like hours. The days in between were spent reading a new book he had found on philosophers of the Renaissance. When he woke up this morning, he couldn't believe he let himself sleep in almost ten minutes, nine minutes and forty-seven seconds to be exact. Spencer had frozen in the shower, not waiting for the water to heat up, scalded himself on the breakfast burrito he didn't wait to cool down, and stubbed his toe looking for his shoes. He hoped this wasn't to be a preface to the kind of day it would be. Spencer glanced at his watch again. One minute, seventeen seconds.

He avoided his usual route, a nice wakening stroll through the park, and instead turned down a street he knew was there and faster than the stroll. Spencer slowed his pace to that of his regular stride, his detour putting him ahead of schedule, and had just caught a whiff of Earl Grey and lilacs when he felt a collide and hot beverage exploding over his chest.

"Oh my Merlin, are you alright?" A crisp voice asked, undeniably British.

Spencer was about to be truthful, as he had the logical tendency to do, when he looked up into intelligent caramel eyes. "I'm okay," he found himself saying. "Besides, it's been estimated that there are about 12,49o coffee spills a day. I was bound to be one at some point."

The girl tilted her head to the side. "Yes, but I happen to be drinking Earl Grey tea. The composition is too far off as it is more likely to spill tea in its thinness than the thicker option of coffee." He stared, not sure of what to say. She blushed and fidgeted. "I'm sorry, here I am correcting you and I've just ruined your clothes. I do apologize."

Spencer finally found his tongue. "No, I was the one not paying attention to where I was going. It isn't your fault."

"No, I was off thinking about the day and didn't even notice."

"As was I." She blushed, and he found it- dare he say it- cute. She laughed softly.

She seemed to be very meticulous, her yellow dress very carefully smoothed and ironed, her gold necklace with a twisted metal pendant was laid perfectly, her brown hair just so in a twisted up do. She carried a red tote, indicating a well-organized mind, and wore low wedges. He noticed her stance as open, but prepared in case the need to fight arose, and he furrowed his brow.

"I'm Hermione," she introduced herself with a firm, but not intimidating, handshake.

"There's some ill planet reigns: I must be patient till the heavens look with an aspect more favourable." He quoted.

"Good my lords, I am not prone to weeping, as our sex commonly are — the want of which vain dew perchance shall dry your pities — but I have that honourable grief lodg'd here, which burns worse than tears drown," she returned. Then with a smile, she asked, "How did you know I wasn't named for the daughter of Helen and Menelaus?"

He gestured to her neck. "Your necklace quotes Shakespeare, even if it is Hamlet and not A Winter's Tale. I'm Spencer Reid."

She beamed and he felt rather proud of himself for having made her done so. There was a shrill beeping from his phone and he dug it out of his pocket, already knowing who it was. Sure enough, there was a message from Hotch asking where he was. He looked up at Hermione, and thought how wonderfully the name seemed to suit her and she shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

"I really am sorry I ruined your clothes. Isn't there anything I can do?" She asked, and he found her voice pleasant, smooth, and commanding.

 _You can let me buy you a new beverage,_ he thought to himself, unsure of where the thought came from, but before he could think better of it, it was out of his mouth. He cringed at himself, but Hermione smiled and agreed bashfully. She had a ring on her left forefinger she fiddled with as they walked back inside the coffee shop "Cutter's Point". It looked like something handed down, an heirloom perhaps of gold and rubies with a name scrawled that he couldn't make out. She kept an eye on her peripherals carefully and almost unnoticeably. That was when he noticed she carried herself like a soldier, her back straight, her chin up, her overall position flexible.

"A large Earl Grey tea and a large of your drip coffee, please," he told the boy at the counter. When their drinks came, she handed him a warmer and he watched her pour a generous amount of milk into the cup and twist it around to stir in a cyclone of sorts.

"Twenty-four percent of coffee drinkers say they drink coffee black," she said as they stepped back out into the fresh spring morning.

"And over 25% of milk consumed in UK is taken with tea," Spencer retorted, wondering what he had done with himself today. They were almost- _flirting._

"Well," he said reluctantly, "I have to get to work."

For the first time since their accident, they both looked down at their watches. She cursed, another adorable thing, he thought. "Oh, I am so late," she groaned. Then, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Reid."

"Spencer."

"Spencer."

*

Spencer forgot about the warm coffee in hand, still running his mind over the mysterious girl, until he finally walked in to the office and it was swept away from him in a blur by Morgan. The tall, dark-skinned man guzzled the now lukewarm caffeine and Spencer looked over to JJ with a silent question.

"The coffee machine is broken again," she explained with a huffed laugh.

Morgan handed him back the empty cup and a slip of paper fell from between the cup and its warmer. Morgan picked it up and turned it over to read, before laughing in mirth.

"Pretty Boy's got some digits."

"Don't be absurd."

JJ and Emily moved around to see the paper over Morgan's shoulder. "Who's Hermione Granger?" She asked.

Spencer's head snapped up from his messenger bag. "What?"

Morgan handed him the piece. It read in gold ink, _'Hermione Granger xxx-xxx-xxxx'._ Spencer gave a rare smile as Dave and Hotch walked in.

"What's going on here?" Hotch asked curiously and slightly suspicious.

Morgan grinned mischievously. "Reid here's got a girl."

*

Hermione woke up with a deep yawn, rolling over to bury her face in her pillow and inhaling deeply in contentment. The past year had been the happiest she could remember being. After the war, she had decided she was tired of fighting, tired of conflict, and turned down the offer to work at the Ministry- must to most people's surprise. She wanted to do something simple, something quiet and peaceful. She wanted to teach Muggle primary school.

Hermione had tried to convince her boyfriend at the time that she didn't want to just be a house wife, but Ron had persisted anyway; proposing and giving her the choice. They continued their relationship after her rejection, but it was forced. Then she found him with Lavender Brown and decided she had made the right choice, much to the chagrin of Ron and the Weasley matron. George, his wife Luna, Ginny, and Harry had taken her side, along with several other of her friends. Molly wouldn't hear of it. So Harry and Ginny finally moved out as they had wanted. Hermione cut ties to Molly and Ron and those who accused her of leading Ronald on. It wasn't until a year ago they decided to move to America. Hermione's maternal grandmother had been from Virginia- so that's where they went. The five of them found a perfect house where they could live together comfortably and were happy away from the rebuilding and post publicity of the war.

She finally sat up, smelling bacon cooking and coffee brewing as George had formed a fondness for it. She frowned slightly. They were all early risers, a side effect from the war, but she rarely saw any of them before she went to work. She grabbed her dressing gown and went down stairs to see why the change. Apparently she was the only one not already downstairs. Hermione slid into a stool at the island bar next to Harry. Luna twirled around the kitchen even dreamier than usual as she cooked, eggs, bacon, sausages, scones. George helped marginally, stirring porridge and such, gazing lovingly at his wife. Hermione looked to Harry and Ginny, who both shrugged.

"What's the occasion," she asked finally as George pulled down plates. He blushed slightly, a red tip to his ears, and stammered.

"Occasion? Whatever do you mean, Mi?"

"I'm pregnant," Luna said with her unique smile. Then the kitchen was filled with shrieks as Ginny and Hermione hugged her tightly and Harry clapped George on the back. Hermione hugged the father to be and whispered her congratulations.

"How far along are you?" Ginny asked after making her way over to her brother.

George answered with a grin, "Just over ten weeks. We're due in September."

Hermione didn't understand how she didn't notice. Luna, sweet and tiny Luna, had more of a roundness to her face, a slightly round to her otherwise flat stomach, and she had had to hold her long blonde hair back for what she thought was just a bug at the time. Had she been so oblivious?

"We didn't want to tell anyone until we saw a Healer," Luna told them in apology. "We're planning to tell the others at Remus' birthday next week. Even Neville and Seren should be there."

"I'm so happy for you," Hermione smiled, hugging her friend again.

They discussed name ideas, bouncing them off of each other over their bounty. She had never seen the fairy-like girl glow so brightly with George about to bounce out of his seat at the prospect of being a dad.

"Are you going to tell Mum?" Ginny asked. George and Luna looked at each other, her putting her hand over her husbands.

"We are." George confirmed. "We don't want her to miss out because of old disagreements. Luna and I think she deserves at least a chance."

George Weasley and his mother had had their own arguments leading to the split. He had continued Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in spite of his twin's death, knowing Fred would want him to, and it led to more animosity from Molly about his lack of a "real job". Harry and Ginny had decided to wait to get married, not in a huge hurry, and wanted to move into their own place. Neither decisions did Molly like, and pressured them. So, when Hermione decided she was moving to Virginia, the lot decided to come with her. Harry and Ginny found that they missed a big family under the same roof. George came and decided to open a U.S. branch for WWW, with a small store front of items able to be sold to Muggles. Luna took up her father's newspaper and started a small flower shop she could write her entries in, with Harry as her partner when he wasn't teaching evening self-defense classes. Ginny had found a deep love for the game of soccer, playing on a local team.

They still had their friends in Britain; Remus, Teddy, and Severus who all lived in Grimmauld Place, Draco- who had become a Healer- and his wife Astoria, and Neville and his fiancé Seren Lynotte. There had been a slight hesitancy from his grandmother over marrying a Muggle, but Augusta Longbottom loved Seren. A timer beeped and Hermione looked over at it.

"Well, I suppose I should be getting dressed."

"That would probably be a good idea," Harry teased her, helping himself to another sausage link. Hermione stole it from his fingers and took a bite with a triumphant smile at his indignant whine before going back to her room.

She had decided not to drive, the only one in the house that did, and stopped by her favorite coffee shop, "Cutter's Point", and ordered her tea. Hermione poured her milk, exactly three teaspoons to the ratio of tea, and found herself looking forward to seeing her kindergarten class this morning. They were going to be doing a color scavenger hunt today and she hoped they would like it.

Hermione didn't see him, which bothered her later at the thought that she had gone soft on her instincts. He was wearing a light grey jumper, the sleeves pushed up almost to his elbows, a red paisley tie, and black slacks- his brown hair tucked behind his ear. Then he was soaked in hot, no doubt sticky, tea.

"Oh my Merlin, are you alright?" His jaw clenched and relaxed when he looked up at her with a flash of something.

"I'm okay," he said, though she could tell that isn't what he was originally going to say. "Besides, it's been estimated that there are about 12,49o coffee spills a day. I was bound to be one at some point."

She was impressed, if only vaguely, of his knowledge for that statistic, and couldn't keep herself from pointing out about her tea. "I'm sorry, here I am correcting you and I've just ruined your clothes. I do apologize."

"No," the man insisted. "I was the one not paying attention to where I was going. It isn't your fault."

"No, I was off thinking about the day and didn't even notice."

"As was I." She laughed to herself, this was no use if they both kept insisting they were at fault.

His chocolate brown eyes were calculating and she could tell he was trying to figure out something about her, thinking rather hard. She supposed, this close to Quantico, he could be FBI. He seemed to have the right posture and there was a slight lump on his hip that could be a gun. She could tell he was intelligent, as he had that air of knowledge about him. She decided she liked him so far as he furrowed his brow.

"I'm Hermione," she said, extending her hand.

"There's some ill planet reigns: I must be patient till the heavens look with an aspect more favourable." He quoted, taking it with a confident grip. She turned her head slightly, taking the small challenge.

"Good my lords, I am not prone to weeping, as our sex commonly are — the want of which vain dew perchance shall dry your pities — but I have that honourable grief lodg'd here, which burns worse than tears drown," she finished. Hermione smiled. "How did you know I wasn't named for the daughter of Helen and Menelaus?"

He gestured to her necklace. "Your necklace quotes Shakespeare, even if it is Hamlet and not A Winter's Tale. I'm Spencer Reid."

She reached up to her necklace, a gift from Remus, that read _This Above All To Thine Own Self Be True_. She was admittedly impressed as his phone rang and he looked down, with a slight dreading, and back up to her.

"I really am sorry I ruined your clothes. Isn't there anything I can do?" She found she didn't want him to go.

"You can let me buy you a new beverage," Spencer replied almost immediately, obviously surprising himself. She smiled, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Alright then."

He walked with purpose, but she felt like that had nothing to do with him being FBI. She guessed that he was a very precise person. It was in each step, years of knowing where he was going before he took the next one. It suited that he would drink black coffee. And it suited that he knew statistics of how she took hers. Hermione wasn't sure why she slipped her number under his warmer. She felt a click, like one of a kindred soul, and wanted to meet up with him again. She guessed him to be mid-twenties, but having taken care of himself for longer than most. She wondered if he had no family. Or family, but was estranged.

"Well," he said. "I have to get to work."

Hermione looked down at her watch and uncharacteristically cursed, seeing a small smile appear on his face at it. "Oh, I am so late," she groaned. Then, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Reid."

"Spencer," he said without hesitation.

"Spencer," she smiled to herself- a smile that held until she reached the school. ****

 **A/N: So, no. The name for the title actually has no relevance to the story at all. It's just an awesome word. I have huge plans for this story and I hope you all like it. Tell me what you think. I am also taking suggestions for names and genders of Luna's baby.**


	2. Call

Chapter two: Call

Spencer couldn't stop thinking about the pretty girl he met outside of the coffee shop. He had even gone by the same shop twice, but hadn't seen her again. He had debated on calling her, even going so far as to save her name in his phone- a simple thing only needed for text and calls. He found himself rereading A Winter's Tale. But he didn't call her, sure that once they had a proper conversation, she would regret offering.

Then they had a case and he flew off to Rhode Island to investigate a series of murders where the unsub targeted young brunettes from the local colleges. It made him think of Hermione more. She seemed college age. Early to mid-twenties, but a tough history that left her guarded. He wondered if she went to Georgetown University.

When they came back home, luckily after a short trip, he and the team were going through their individual mails and Garcia came to greet her boyfriend, Derek Morgan. She turned to Spencer, and her bright yellow skirt and red sweater reminded him of Hermione again. He struggled against a smile.

"So, Boy Wonder," she asked as he tossed a stack of lecture requests into a drawer to go through later. "I'm told you have paramour. I want to hear all the sordid details."

Spencer felt his cheeks redden and he looked down to the papers. "I was given a phone number by a girl, nothing more."

She gasped in disbelief. "You didn't _call_ her?"

He quickly motioned for her to keep her voice down, but it was no use as Morgan walked over to join them. "Didn't call who?" Then he looked at Spencer's blush. "You didn't call Hermione?"

"No, I didn't call her." Spencer said as if it were obvious. "That would be ridiculous."

Morgan grinned. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Of course not. 'To show his nervousness was not shameful; only to admit it'- Ernest Hemingway. Death in the Afternoon." This all came out rather fast.

"So- that's a yes." Morgan quickly grabbed Spencer's phone, which he had laid down on the desk, and ran. Spencer followed him around the room and its desks- the team watching with their own amusement. "Oh! He saved her name!" The man said playfully over his shoulder. He held the phone up to his ear.

"No! Morgan, give it back."

"Hello, is this Hermione Granger?" He asked. Spencer stopped in both horror and embarrassment. " _She's British!_ " Morgan stage whispered loudly to the team. Then to the phone, "I'm Derek Morgan, I work with Spencer. He talks about you all the time." He did not. "Yeah, it's a bit creepy." So, maybe he mentioned her necklace. Or how she drank her tea. Once. "He really wants to ask you out, but you see, he's nervous."

Spencer finally caught up with him and snatched the phone away from him, not thinking he had ever blushed so hard. "Hermione?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

"Hello, Spencer."

"Yes, I am so sorry about Morgan. He's just a joker."

"Then you _didn't_ want to take me out?" She asked teasingly and he could almost see her coy smile. The same smile she had when they quoted Shakespeare. He fumbled for an answer, stuttering a series of random sounds and she laughed, a hearty, feminine sound. "What a shame."

Spencer stopped and leaned against the wall, facing away from the rest. "R-really?"

"Well, I'm not usually in the habit of handing out my number to random victims of my inattentiveness." She responded smoothly.

He let out a breath. "Oh. Well, in that case, would you like to?"

"I would love to."

Spencer grinned wide. "How does tomorrow night sound, around seven?" His chest pounded and he couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Tomorrow night sounds wonderful." He could hear the smile in her voice.

After they hung up, he turned around with a red face, an unbelieving smile, and a fluttering in his gut. Morgan nodded to his accomplishment. A moment later he received a text with an address, approximately three blocks from his own in a nicer part of town consisting mostly of old money. He couldn't wait to see her again.

*

Hermione hugged Remus first when she came through the Floo to Grimmauld Place.

"Happy birthday, Remus," she said with a smile before moving on to Severus. After the war and the truth was found of his loyalties, they fought to lose the tension between them and became close. He was able to tell Harry stories about his mother and he and Hermione discussed new advancements in the wizarding world. He talked potions and logistics of his pranks with George and had become family just as much as Remus and Teddy were. Severus absolutely adored Teddy.

The little boy in question launched himself at her with a strong grip and blue hair that he always had. "Aunt Mi!"

"Hey, little bear." She laughed, hugging him close too. "You know, next month I will be coming here for _your_ birthday. What do you want?"

"Don't you already spoil him too much, Mia?" A drawling voice asked over the greetings.

She rolled her eyes at the blond. "He's my godson, I don't spoil him any more than Harry does." Severus snorted at that.

"That isn't saying much," Draco retorted as he offered a hug. She took it with a chuckle before moving on to catch up with Astoria.

He did have a point. Harry and Hermione were both awful at drowning the five-year-old, almost six, with anything he could ever want. She didn't think she would ever live past that birthday where she gave him a tree. He had wanted a treehouse. Like he had at 'Greasttergood', which is what they named their home in Virginia, but the back yard of Grimmauld Place had no trees. So, she bought him an oak tree and then proceeded to build him one. But, at least she wasn't the one who tried to buy him a Pegasus.

"So, what is new with everyone?" Remus asked after dinner when they sat around the living room.

"We've set a date," Seren told them from her spot at Neville's side. "We're hoping it will curb that harpy's flirting with Nev."

The Herbology professor blushed. "Harpy?" Severus asked. He and Neville moved past their differences as they now worked together.

"Arwen Hulistser," Neville answered.

"The new Muggle Studies professor?" At Neville and Seren's nod, Severus added with a smirk. "I can fix that easily."

"Luna's pregnant," George said with the same grin. Then, to Hermione, Harry, and Ginny. "We already told these prats, but we did _not_ , however, mention we are having twins."

More screams and shouts and laughter followed this, accompanied by a smack to the back of his head from Ginny for not telling. Luna beamed and brightened at everyone's congratulations. Teddy only understood he would have a cousin and jumped around in excitement, despite it being after ten at night in London. It was always late when they visited each other. Severus picked Teddy up and held him close, hoping to settle the ball of energy into falling asleep without hassle.

"Hermione has a guy." Everyone looked to her and she glared at Ginny.

It had been a week since she gave Spencer her number and had told both Ginny and Luna about it, being teased about being so uncharacteristic. She hadn't seen anyone since she and Ron split up four years ago. Sure, her friends had tried to set her up on dates, the operative word here being _tried_ , but she just wasn't interested. She should have known one of them would mention this.

"I do _not_ have a guy." Hermione said firmly. "I gave him my number. That's all."

"A Muggle?" Draco asked apprehensively.

Luna smiled the smile that usually meant she knew something you didn't. "And he's Muggle law enforcement."

"Like _that_ couldn't end badly," Severus remarked with a raised set of eyebrows.

"Severus, be kind." Remus interrupted. "I think it's great, Hermione, but you will be careful, won't you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It isn't a problem, because he hasn't called me." She took Teddy from Severus and carried him up the stairs to his bedroom and tucked him in. It never failed. Severus could get him to sleep faster than anyone. She placed a gentle kiss to his forehead and found it darling that his hair turned his natural light brown when he slept.

Her phone, which she always forgot to silence, rang as she walked downstairs. She wondered if it was the substitute she had for the day and had just come into the room when she noticed Harry with it. It wasn't a saved number. With a small frown, she answered.

"Hullo?"

A rich voice sounded. "Hello, is this Hermione Granger?"

Hermione knitted her eyebrows and glanced around. "This is she."

 _"She's British!_ " She heard in a mock whisper to someone else. She could tell he was moving around with the phone. "I'm Derek Morgan, I work with Spencer. He talks about you all the time."

"Really?" She asked with a smile. Ginny started mouthing to ask who it was. Hermione shook her head and held up a finger.

"Yeah, it's a bit creepy."

"I see," she still smiled and Ginny crowded her to ask. Hermione waved her off, trying to push her towards Harry- who being decidedly unhelpful in her predicament.

"He really wants to ask you out, but you see, he's nervous." She was giggling like a schoolgirl when a new voice came on.

"Hermione?"

"Hello, Spencer." Ginny and Luna's eyes and mouths widened into grins and ganged up to chase after her in hopes of listening in. She could guess this was what that Morgan had done as indicated by Spencer's pace of breathing.

"Yes, I am so sorry about Morgan. He's just a joker."

"Then you _didn't_ want to take me out?" She asked, wondering where this flirt had come from. From the looks, her family was having this thought as well. "What a shame."

"R-really?" Hermione bit her lip against the grin forming.

"Well, I'm not usually in the habit of handing out my number to random victims of my inattentiveness." She admitted, kicking herself for being so transparent.

Then he asked. "Oh. Well, in that case, would you like to?"

"I would love to." She tried hard not to squeal that answer.

She could tell he was smiling. "How does tomorrow night sound, around seven?" A lump in her throat formed.

"Tomorrow night sounds wonderful."

Hermione finally hung up and squealed a bit, jumping up and down. Everyone looked at her, not seeing her act like this in a long time- if at all.

"Well?" Astoria asked with a smile at her friend.

Hermione bit her lip and glanced around. Remus, Harry, Luna, Seren, and Ginny looked amused, Neville looked confused, Severus looked expectant, and Draco and George both smirked in a way that she knew would mean teasing later.

"I have a date tomorrow night," she said through her hands on her face.


	3. Chemistry

Chapter three: Chemistry

Spencer spent the rest of Friday on the internet, looking up tips and questions. He was nervous- which was ridiculous as being nervous accomplished nothing. He found a Thai restaurant not far, and planned on walking. It would give them time to talk before they went to dinner, and on the way back to her door. He didn't mention it in his letter to his mother, however, as he didn't know how it would go. He hoped it went well. He wondered what kind of books she liked to read, making a long list in his mind of things he wanted to know. He found himself adding to it throughout the day. He debated on a movie, but had always thought the first date should consist of getting to know each other, not that he had much experience with dating. He even found a flower shop on the way there.

Saturday, he finished his book- this one Hamlet. He had decided to go back and reread Shakespeare's works. Though, to be honest, he preferred Thomas Kyd. He started reading Troilus and Cressida. He finished Troilus and Cressida. He glanced at the clock, 5:47. He could start getting ready for the date. He tried not to think about his thumping nerves as he buttoned his plum dress shirt and pulled the black vest over it. He didn't let himself think about the statistics of failed first dates as he tied his shoes and checked his hair. He pushed his past failures with girls from his mind as he locked his apartment behind him and walked on.

Forget-Me-Not Florals had amazing reviews online and try as he did, he didn't find a single bad one. They did not have a website. That, he thought, was strange considering the popularity. Luckily, they didn't close until eight. The sign in the window was done in a strange calligraphy, looking like it was written with a quill, in a muted orange. He opened the door and was surprised by the selection of flowers in such a small unit. The owner certainly knew how to utilize the space. There was a voice from the back.

"Be right there." A tall, redhead with one ear came into view and Spencer wondered how he knew there was someone there, as there was no bell and the door made no sound. He briefly imagined the man, who looked slightly out of place in the shop and therefore couldn't be the owner, randomly calling out to a nonexistent customer.

"Welcome to Forget-Me-Not, glad you remembered." The man then chuckled to himself at his own joke. An ethereal woman, who looked little more than a girl, appeared from where he assumed was a back room. She didn't walk so much as she danced, her long pale blonde hair in a halo around her. This, he could tell was the owner and considering their closeness, the redhead's wife or fiancé at the very least.

"Hello, I'm Luna. Please forgive my husband, he thinks he's funny." She said this in a way that made him understand the phrase, starry-eyed. They were both British, and he wondered if they knew Hermione. It was very likely, he decided, this close to her and their accents sounding to be around the same area.

"I'm Spencer Reid." He introduced, thinking it right to in exchange of hers. He saw a flash of recognition at his name, but neither said anything as he went through picking specific flowers for a bouquet. Daffodils, violets, pale primrose, oxlips, and lilies- two of each and an extra lily. He hoped she understood the reference, though he doubted she wouldn't.

He brought them to the counter where he could tell the tall, freckled husband was trying not to say anything. Spencer ignored him, laying the flowers gently down in front of the strange girl. She smiled to herself, tying a white ribbon around the bunch and punching a few keys on the register. He paid and was leaving when she called after him.

"It was nice to meet you."

The street ended perpendicular to another and in front of him was the large, two-story blue house he had the address for. Each floor had a wrap-around deck and hanging flower pots he could see as begonias in the dim twilight. He took a deep breath, and knock thrice in even echoes. The door opened.

*

It was two hours after Spencer's call when they finally said their good-byes and returned to Greasttergood. The Malfoys, Neville, and Seren had already left. Followed by George and Luna- who needed a nap. Remus and Severus saw them off, insisting again that Hermione be careful on her date. To be honest, she didn't do much Friday afternoon. She tried reading, and upon finishing her book baked chocolate biscuits. Then she waved her wand to jumble her bookshelves so she could alphabetize them again. She was too anxious about the next day. The last time she had felt like this, she was fifteen and going to her first ball with Viktor Krum. Like last time, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with herself beforehand.

She slept as late as she could the next morning, tossing and turning and hoping Morpheus would accept her again into his world until she finally gave up and went downstairs. Ginny had suggested shopping for a new dress to wear, and Hermione was sorely tempted just so she would have something to do if nothing else, but she absolutely hated shopping. She took a long bath, reading a new book called Amaryllis in Blueberry, and relaxing. When Hermione emerged from her wrinkly therapy, Ginny was going through her closet and throwing random dresses on her bed for her to try.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" She asked indignantly.

The redhead didn't answer, only shoving a pair of knickers and matching bra at her. "Go put these on and come back out."

Hermione sighed and went back into the bathroom. When she returned, Ginny had narrowed the choices down to a dozen. Hermione went through and eliminated a yellow dress that was too tight, a green dress that was honestly more Ginny's style, and a few others that she knew she would spend most of the evening picking at if she wore. They were down to four.

"Why don't we just use magic?" Ginny asked, referring to the nail varnish Hermione had chosen.

"Because it would take too short a time," Hermione admitted with a blush. "Plus, it's more fun this way."

"Are you nervous?" Ginny asked as she started on her own toes.

Hermione nodded. "I don't know what it is, we didn't even talk all that much, but I just know that I like him. Does that make sense at all?"

"Perfect sense. Sometimes there's just chemistry."

"Effortless chemistry." Hermione added.

At this point Harry came in, bored after his self-defense class. George had gone to see Luna at the shop, more protective of her as of late and understandably so. Harry somehow became part of the gossip as he helped Hermione with her nails.

"Wait, you spilled tea on him?" He asked when she retold their meeting.

She blushed. "I didn't do it _purpose_."

"He didn't say you did," Ginny said, "just that you are the least clumsy person we know. Aside from maybe Luna." It was a universal rule that in standards like this, Luna didn't count as she beat every one.

"Anyway," Hermione said, nudging Harry with a drying foot, "I just- he quoted A Winter's Tale."

Harry nodded and explained to Ginny, who was confused. She "aww"ed at that. "That is so cute!"

"So, he's a know it all like you?"

"Ginny, control your husband."

"I try," Ginny sighed dramatically.

Harry pulled a hurt expression. "I resent that remark."

"You _resemble_ that remark." Hermione corrected teasingly. Ginny gasped at the time and pushed Harry out of the room so Hermione could get dressed.

Her dress was to be a lace, A-line in lavender, with glossy black straps, a black clutch and her hair brushed and up- held in place with chop sticks. Ginny glamoured her scars and managed to convince her to use a smidge of lip gloss, but she refused any other make-up. Her heart threatened to escape through her mouth as she walked downstairs. Harry was sitting in an armchair and looked up when she came down.

"Wow, Mione. You look beautiful." She blushed and hugged him.

"Thanks, Harry."

There was a knock. She grinned and tried to calm herself, waving them away.

"But I want to meet him," Ginny half whined as Harry pulled her upstairs. Harry whispered something in her ear, too low for Hermione to hear, and Ginny went up with him more enthusiastically as Hermione opened one of the double doors.

*

She looked beautiful. Stunning. Classy. He lost his words until her smile prompted him. "You look amazing," he told her honestly. She bit a glossy lip and grinned.

"Thank you, I think we fit together. Both purple." He looked down at himself and the plum and felt silly for having to.

"Purple," he said. "To promote- "

"Calmness," she finished. He gave her the bouquet and she buried her face in the flowers. "Out, alas! You'd be so lean, that blasts of January would blow you through and through." He smiled that she understood them. "The flowers Perdita asked for." She pulled him inside. "I'll just go put these in some water."

Spencer followed her through an open floor sitting room to the yellow-walled kitchen and watched her pulled down a vase and untie the flowers to put them in, tying the ribbon around the waist of the glass. The inside of the house was comfortable, nicely put together without feeling plastic. It was all very open. They passed pictures of Hermione with other people; her, the angelic girl from the florist, and a redhead girl whom he assumed could be the one eared man's sister. A huge group of people, a little boy in Hermione's arms with a smile. There were a few of the couple he met in the flower shop. He pointed to one of them surrounded by flowers at what he assumed was their wedding.

"I met them today. At the flower shop."

Hermione smiled at the picture, obviously remembering when it was taken. "That's George and Luna. They live here with me and two more of our friends. In fact, Luna's just found out they're pregnant."

"What happened to his ear?" He kicked himself for asking that, thinking maybe it was sensitive. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- "

"Not at all," she said. "It was an accident. He made an ear joke almost immediately. His brother asked him how he felt and he responded 'holey'." She chuckled lightly.

Spencer smiled at the sound and the man's past antics. He could tell there was something more than just an accident, but left it alone and offered his arm awkwardly. "Shall we?"

She took it with a smile. "Let's."

The sun was almost set as they walked down the sidewalk, the streetlights making a path ahead, and a sweet smell on the slight breeze. He kept looking down at her, realizing how much taller he was. She walked with a contented smile that made him want to stand taller.

"So, what brought you to Virginia? How long have you been here?"

Hermione's smile faltered for a moment before getting bigger. "I wanted to live peacefully, and I couldn't do that in London. There was an argument in our adopted family, mine and Harry's, and I suppose that was a huge part of my decision. My grandmother was born here, so I thought why not? George, Luna, Harry and Ginny came with me. This November will be two years."

"What is it that you do?"

"I teach kindergarten at the elementary school." He could imagine that. He could see her surrounded by five year olds, like the kid in one of the pictures he saw in her house. "Have you always lived in Virginia?" She asked.

"Actually, I was born in Las Vegas. I moved here six years ago, been an FBI agent for four."

She smirked. "I knew. When we met at Cutter's Point." He looked down at her in surprise. "It was in the way you walked. The way you carried yourself. It also didn't help that I could feel you profiling me."

"I'm sorry," he said automatically and out of habit. "I don't- "

"Even realize you're doing it?" She asked playfully. "I do that too from time to time. What do you like to do when you're not working?"

"I read a lot. In fact, I have been rereading Shakespeare. I occasionally give lectures at various colleges."

"What's your favorite book? Or no, maybe the book you come to most? Wait!" She turned and walked backwards so she could face him. "When you feel low, or maybe sick, what do you have the urge to read?"

Spencer stopped walking and smiled at her excitement. She was so bright and full of life. "I don't really have one favorite in particular, but I suppose when I feel particularly down I tend to reach for Time Enough For Love."

"Live and learn, or you don't live long." Hermione smiled at him.

"'I came, I saw, she conquered.' The original Latin seems to have been garbled."

She tilted her head to the side, "Are you trying to tell me something, Dr. Reid?"

"What about you?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

She held her clutch tighter and twirled back around to walk further with him. "If I'm sick I always reach for Alice in Wonderland. My mother used to read that to me as a kid. But if I'm feeling depressed or stressed I like to read horror tales. They make me feel better about whatever is going on in my life because at least the monster I have created isn't trying to kill me."

Spencer smiled, liking that philosophy, liking how her mind worked. They stopped in front of the Thai restaurant he had made reservations for. She grinned.

"Oh, I love Thai food!" He loved her enthusiasm. He held the door open and she walked through with a small smile. She should have known he was a gentleman.

"Spencer Reid. Reservation for two."

The hostess led them to a table, where Spencer held out her chair for her, and laid down some menus. "Can I get you both some drinks?" She asked in a Southern accent. Spencer looked to Hermione to go first.

"Just an iced tea, please."

"Make that two," he added. Then, "The Brit has found a secret love for iced tea? Isn't that blasphemy?"

"Everyone is allowed one or two." She motioned for him to lean in and he found himself doing so. "George evens likes… coffee!"

"That's awful," he teased. There were a few other people, but the restaurant was not too crowded. The overcom was playing some sort of atmospheric music you might expect to hear in a Zhang Yimou film. She smiled at him over her menu. He decided fast what he wanted, and set his down. She had already closed hers. Hermione sipped her tea daintily and a licked her lips afterwards.

"Tell me more about your friends," he said, not really sure what to say now that he was here with her. It wasn't awkward, on the contrary rather comfortable, but he felt like everything just left his mind and he knew there were things he wanted to ask- yet he couldn't remember anything. But he liked how she lit up when she was looking at that picture of her friend.

As expected, she smiled just short of beaming. "Well, Harry and I met when we were eleven. We were in boarding school together in Scotland. I suppose we just sort gravitated toward one another and became inseparable. Ginny and George's brother, Ron were friends with us as well and the entire Weasley clan just sort of adopted us into the brood." Her eyes were haunted at this moment and the idea that she had been a soldier struck him again. "Harry lost his parents when he was a baby, and mine died after we left school. He literally adopted me as his sister when we were old enough." She looked down to her ring and he knew now that it was a heritage ring. An heir ring.

"And your family were okay with you moving here?"

"We had a bit of a spat, I suppose you could say, which is what spurred the move." Hermione blinked very deliberately, like shaking off old thoughts. "What about you? Family? Friends? People who refuse to leave you be?"

Spencer huffed a small laugh. "My team and I are fairly close. Garcia is our technical analysis. She wears these outrageous outfits, that I'm not sure I have ever seen so many clashing colors fit together so well for. She is with Morgan, who you more or less met yesterday."

"The one who made you chase him around with the phone?" She teased.

He chuckled, not ever having done so so often in one evening and they had just started. "Yes, I was being stubborn and admittedly unsure about calling. He stole the phone and called you and, well, you know what happened afterward."

"He sounds like Harry's fiancé, Ginny. She teased me about giving you my number endlessly. She had just brought it up a few minutes before my phone rang."

"He's a good man, a good friend."

*

Their dinner was delicious, the two of them taking bites in between their conversation and questions.

"So, he just left?" Hermione asked, laughing over her pad thai.

"He did. I actually felt rather bad. I didn't mean to show him up at his own lecture, just correct a few things he said. After I was done, he just stared at me and walked away."

"What did you do?"

Spencer flushed. "I finished his lecture."

"At sixteen?" He nodded. "I suppose I can't say much. I was utterly insufferable in school. My chemistry teacher even called me an insufferable know-it-all. I just had to know everything about everything. My friends still tease me about it. After school, they all expected me to take a government job, and I had many offers, but it just wasn't for me."

"Why not?"

"I was tired. My boarding school was prestigious and a lot of the students thought I didn't deserve to be there. It would have been the same thing in any of those jobs I could have chosen. I was tired of having to prove myself worthy, knowing nothing I could have done would have changed their minds."

"I suppose I understand that to an extent. There was an incident when I was a child, one I am self-aware enough to think it is part of why I became an agent, and it caused a lot of problems between my parents and they were about to split. I tried to convince my father to stay by using a statistic that children of parents who remain together receive more education. He told me that we were not statistics, and left. I tried to spite him with my degrees."

Hermione laid a hand on his, "I think you've done wonderfully."

*

They left the restaurant and it was night, the streets and sidewalks empty apart from them as he led her through the park he regularly passed through. Their hands were clasped, but he tried not to focus too much on that. Hermione and Spencer didn't speak much, just watching the moon and stars. She pointed to an empty space.

"That's where my favorite would be if it were able to be seen this time of year." He frowned, thinking to the star maps.

"Canis Major?"

Hermione hummed an affirmative. "The Dog Star. Harry's godfather, and a very close friend of ours, was named after it. He died when I was sixteen and I suppose looking at the star makes me feel like we aren't alone in the world."

He pointed to the Hydra constellation. "That has always been a favorite of mine."

"Why?"

Spencer then had a look that suggested he was remembering something unpleasant, or wasn't sure how to say his thoughts out loud. It was both. "I suppose it's because I always feel like I have multiple faces- a separate facet for different people to switch between. People resent me because I'm smart and don't always understand when not to show it. I'm frustrating because I know things and notice things. Like my profiling."

"What's your profile of me?" She asked curiously, but demanding or insistent.

He faltered. "Most people hate it."

She shrugged. "I won't pressure you. Maybe later you can tell me if you feel comfortable." Then she blushed, noticing what she said.

Suddenly feeling brave, he squeezed her hand just slightly and began. "You've known horror. You have the stance of a warrior and show signs of having suffered from malnutrition in, I would say, your late teens. You are always ready for danger when it arrives. You rely on your friends because whatever it was you went through, you went through together and there are things you can't go through together without becoming close. You are intelligent, remarkably so for our age group, but you have been looked down on for it so much that you muted it- even though at the time I am sure you used their disdain for encouragement. You blame yourself for your parents, however they passed, and show slight signs of someone who has only barely moved past a long stage of night terrors. I also have a theory of addiction somewhere, as you fidget and pick at everything too much for it not to be a habit and possible side-affect."

She had paled slightly, but held fast to his hand. "Ten points," she said, and he got the vague idea this was supposed to be good, but before he could ask she continued. "Mind if I have a go?"

Interested in what her assessment would be, he gestured broadly and she took a breath. "You recognize the signs of addiction, because you have experienced them yourself. Your fingers twitch and you restrain yourself because you are ashamed that you still feel the itch, despite your strength of character. You spoke briefly of your father, but said nothing of your mother. You are estranged and feel guilty about the distance. You've taken care of yourself for a long time before you reached the age of an adult. You favor your left leg so subtly, I doubt you even realize you do it. You were shot in the thigh at some point and it's as though the muscle tightened in response and never relaxed after. Somewhere you hate your remarkable intelligence, hating that you've been teased for it."

Spencer found himself impressed, and upset. He wondered if this was how others felt after he profiled them. She had done very well. "What was it you said? Ten points?"

"It was a reward system at my boarding school."

"Well, it applies. Dilaudid." Hermione nodded. She recognized the Muggle drug. "I was abducted and he injected me with it. It took me a long time to get clean."

Hermione looked down to the pavement ahead of them. After the war, when the nightmares began at full force and she was forced to face the horrors again by night, she had begun taking Dreamless Sleep. She knew the dangers of it, knew how addictive it was said to be. She thought she could handle it. Then she began to fade into herself, she became less focused, more out of it, her appetite waned. Luckily, Severus had seen and recognized the signs for what they were and helped her before it was too late. "It was an experimental medicine of sorts," she said. "My old chemistry professor, more of an apothecary, had developed something that blocked REM so you could sleep without dreams. I knew the dangers of drinking it, it was addictive, and luckily for me my professor saw what was happening to me and knew how to help."

"That sounds too good to be true, of course it has to have such a bad thing associated with it."

"Well it was fine occasionally, and I know a friend or two who uses it very seldom, but it isn't meant to be taken every night."

Spencer had never heard of such a thing, but didn't doubt the truth in her face.

*

They finally made their way to her front porch around eleven, her shoes long removed and dangling from her hand. Neither expected to have stayed out this long. The lights in the house were on and she could tell they were waiting up to hear how it went. She opened the screen door and stopped, turning back.

"I have a wonderful time tonight," she said, trying to show her honesty in her widened eyes.

"So did I," he answered back- and truthfully he couldn't remember a better evening. "I-I would very much like to see you again."

"Anytime, Spencer Reid. Anytime at all."

"Coffee." He suggested, trying to stall. "Meet me for coffee tomorrow morning. Ten-thirty."

"I look forward to it," she whispered. "Good-night, Spencer."

"Good-night. Hermione." She turned to go inside, but stopped- making a quick decision and went to kiss his cheek, but he moved and she got the corner of his mouth instead. They both blushed and Spencer touched the point where her lips made contact as he watched her disappear into the house.

 **A/N: Cutter's Point is a real coffee chain. I first encountered it in Olympia, WA. They have AMAZING smoothies. They aren't my favorite coffee place, but my fiance loves them so I added it for him. Also, Amaryllis in Blueberry is a real book by Christina Meldrum. It is my favorite book, the one I always reach for on a bad day, and the book I have read the most. I encourage you all to look it up. Tell me what you thought of their date! Love always, Skye.**


	4. Coffee

Chapter four: Coffee

Spencer had a problem. He paced his room looking at his phone that was open to Derek Morgan's contact page. He needed help, but if he called then the man, his friend, would tease him later without a doubt. But he needed help. Spencer kept thinking about Hermione's expression when she saw the flowers, her smile, and doubted it was only because of the reference to A Winter's Tale. He wanted to see that smile again, but didn't often understand social cues and unwritten rules. Would it be construed as something bad if he gave her another? He didn't know her favorite, but surely her friend would if he asked, right? This was why he needed Morgan. Morgan, who always caught on to this sort of thing where Spencer failed to.

He hit the green phone icon and held the phone to his ear. It rang four times before the other man picked up.

"Morgan," the man obviously hadn't looked at the phone first as he was faking a groggy voice as though whoever was calling had woke him up.

"Should I give her another flower?"

"Pretty Boy?" Morgan dropped the pretend and was himself again. "What are you talking about? Who?"

Spencer took a breath and explained. "Now, I'm asking if I should bring her another flower to coffee. I think she really liked it. I want to, but would that be okay?"

There was a squeal and Spencer realized with a sense of dread and embarrassment that Garcia had heard. "Oh, that is just too adorable. Yes, get her a flower! What flowers did you get her last night?"

"Well, her name is Hermione, named after the queen in A Winter's Tale. In the story, Hermione dies shortly after giving birth to a girl named Perdita. Later in the story Perdita asked for daffodils, violets, pale primrose, oxlips, and lilies- so I gave her two of each and an extra lily."

"You gave her flowers based on the play she was named after?" Morgan asked, obviously doubting the idea.

"She quoted Perdita's wish."

"Two geniuses?" Penelope asked. "Lord help us if they have kids."

Spencer blushed bright and pointed out. "It doesn't take a genius to be able memorize something, but yes, I would place her IQ close to mine."

"Well, you have to get her flowers." Garcia said again after hearing the cutest thing she had ever heard.

"But don't overdo it," Morgan advised. "It's only coffee. Bring her one flower. Do you know if she has a favorite?"

"No, but the flower shop I went to is actually owned by a friend of hers. Her roommate of sorts."

Morgan raised his eyebrows.

*

When Morgan finally hung up with Spencer, he was proud. Like his kid had grown up suddenly. He looked over to Penelope with a half-grin.

"Pretty Boy's in love." He told her.

"You know, we should find out more about her. For him. Do you remember her last name?"

Morgan nodded to his girlfriend. "I do. Can you find something out about her with that?"

"Oh, my doubtful chocolatey lover, I can find anything out."

 **Two hours later . . .**

"Wow. Okay. This is weird."

"What's wrong, baby girl?"

She shook her head and adjusted her glasses. "Not _wrong_ , per say, just, _weird_. Look at this, she and her two friends, Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter were _knighted._ She and Ronald were eighteen. Harry was seventeen."

"What did they do that could have gotten them _knighted?"_

"It says here something about some terrorist group, but when I try to find out more specifics it tells me that it is covered under the Official Secrets Act."

Morgan was confused. "What about before that?"

"Hermione Jean Granger, born on September 19, 1979 to Emma and Daniel Granger- both dentists. She seemed to have had a very normal, very British childhood. Until she turned eleven."

"What do you mean until she turned eleven?"

Penelope scrunched her nose up in concentration and typed in something. "She just completely fell off the grid at eleven. So did her friend, Harry."

"What about the other?"

She shook her head. "Ronald Bilius Weasley didn't exist until 1998 when he was knighted. Weirder thing? Same thing as Harry's father, James. There was no James Charlus Potter until his marriage to the mother. Harry's mother was around, but also completely fell off the face of the Earth at eleven. After their deaths, Harry lived with his mother's sister and her husband. He had a cousin named Dudley."

"What kind of a name is Dudley?" Morgan asked in distaste.

She shrugged. "A British name?"

*

Spencer once again opened the door to Forget-Me-Not Florals, this time to a different person that he had yet to meet. He was crouched over the counter looking at a catalogue for kids toys, with a mop of wild, black hair. At the moment Spencer opened the door, the man, boy, man, looked up. He had startling green eyes, and a strange scar on his forehead the shape of a lightning bolt. Spencer had seen this man in pictures at Hermione's house and assumed this to be Harry. Her brother. He hadn't even thought about the fact that that odd, delicate girl from the night before wouldn't be there. This Harry seemed to understand.

"Luna had a doctor's appointment today."

Spencer nodded, suddenly unsure of himself again. "I don't suppose you know Hermione's favorite flower?"

The man's face suddenly hardened just slightly. "You're Spencer."

"You're Harry." Spencer said back.

Harry stood up and walked over to him, holding his hand out. "Good to meet you then."

Spencer shook his hand, the man's grip was tighter than Hermione's had been when they met, though he doubted Harry noticed he was doing it. He was younger than Hermione, but older than Luna. He looked like he had gone through terrible things, having a haunted overtone to his bright eyes that surpassed Hermione's. Whatever they had all gone through, he was in the middle of it.

"Hermione's favorite flower is hyacinth. She thinks it's fun to say and she likes the colors. She used to grow them in her garden in London."

"Thank you." Spencer went to the genus and extracted a purple one, which looked like a bunch, and went to pay.

"Be careful with her," Harry said as he tied the white ribbon around the stem.

Spencer frowned. "You aren't going to threaten harm to me if I'm not?" He had read that it could be considered tradition for siblings and close friends to do so. Harry struck him as the kind, being both to her.

Harry smirked. "No. One, you are FBI. Two, if you try anything she can take care of herself. Three, if she finds out I tried to scare you away she'll tell my fiancé and I'll have the two of them and a hormonal pregnant woman out for my head. I think I'd rather take the FBI."

Spencer left the shop, wondering if he had just been set up. Not by Hermione herself, but if her friends had put Harry in to test him. The situation felt like that, but how did they know he was going to be in today? He shook the thoughts from his head and headed to Cutter's Point, early. He wondered if she would be here early as well. She struck him as the person who thought that if you were on time, you were late. Spencer ordered her tea in preparation for that. He wondered if he was too excited. If this was too early to being thinking about the next date. Would she even want to go on another date? Last night she seemed to be having a good time. And she _did_ agree to coffee.

She kissed him.

He knew she had actually aimed for his cheek, but either way, she kissed him. He kept thinking about that. Were women's lip normally so soft? He knew they weren't. That was just her. Her hand had been soft, but she had small callouses on her right hand from what he thought was from holding a quill. She held her fork as though holding a quill. She favored her left arm. Not like it hurt, but like there was something about her left arm that made her overly conscious about it.

Hermione broke him from his thoughts of her when she walked in. He'd only seen her twice and this was the first time he was seeing her with her hair down and in pants. She wore red jeans, a purple tank top, brown combat boots, and an unbuttoned dark blue polka dot overshirt. She looked beautiful. She smiled upon seeing him and sat across from him. He held out the flower and she blushed, holding it up to her face with the smile that he had been waiting to see. Different from her usual smile. Different from the smile she had when talking about her friends. She was a girl of many smiles.

"This is lovely." She told him. "How did you know?"

"I went back to ask Luna, but she wasn't there. Harry told me."

Hermione smiled. "Of course he did. He once told Ginny that flowers didn't matter. That a flower was just a flower."

"That isn't true," Spencer said. "Various types of flowers have been used to say different things for hundreds of years."

She nodded. "Yes, but he still insisted. So, we ended up going around and talking about our favorites. I don't think he's ever forgotten that conversation."

"He told me you thought the word was fun to say."

"It is," she insisted. "Hyacinth. I love it."

Hermione took a sip of her tea and hummed in happiness. "This is perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Spencer smiled at her. "I hoped it wouldn't be strange for me to have prepared it for you."

"It isn't normally done in Britain, but I never paid much attention to that sort of thing in a casual setting. My friends and I do it all the time."

"Tell me more about your boarding school," he asked in curiosity. He wondered if that was why she used quills.

Hermione blinked and he had the momentary thought she wouldn't tell him. Then he realized that whatever terrible things she and her friends went through, happened there. At the mysterious boarding school. None of them had any outward signs of sexual abuse, though Harry, he thought was perhaps neglected as a child.

"I started when I was eleven. Everyone did. That was the age you got your letter of invitation. It was… a very exclusive school, in Scotland, though I honestly couldn't tell you where. Harry, Ron and I met there our first year. Fred and George were two years ahead of us. Ginny and Luna were a year behind us. I didn't have any friends there at first," she admitted quietly. "I was too much of a show off, trying to prove to everyone that I was accepted for a reason. Harry and Ron became friends immediately on the train there. I was accepted into their friendship Halloween, when I lied for them to a teacher so they wouldn't get into trouble for something they did. After that, we were inseparable."

Spencer noticed that she had subtly focused on the friends, rather than the school itself. "Was it based on parentage?" He asked. "Is that why you were looked down on?"

Yes, he could see it in her face, but he had pegged her from being born to a middle to upper class family. This was in the UK, so he gathered the majority of the school were from various levels of aristocracy.

"Something like that," she mumbled. "What were your school years like?"

"Terrible," he answered without a breath. "I was bullied for my intelligence and the fact that I was graduating high school at twelve."

Hermione nodded her understanding, he had no doubt that she did. "I had an amazing time last night," she said. She had been wanting to tell him again so that he knew. Her answer was a smile that, somehow, she knew he didn't show very often.

"So did I," he said. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun." This was a lie of course, but something that people said to emphasize the sentence. He had had that much fun once when Morgan and Garcia were bickering playfully to each other. He found it very amusing. "I have been wondering if you would like to go out again sometime soon. Perhaps this weekend."

Hermione looked regretful and he almost sighed in disappointment. "I'm afraid this weekend my godson is staying with me. What about lunch sometime this week? Or after work?"

"That sounds good. I-I probably shouldn't be saying this as I don't have a very good history of this sort of thing, and this is only the third time we are in each other's company, but I really like you."

She smiled. "I really like you too, Spencer. Truly. I have never had so much fun on a date as I did last night." She looked at him, tilting her head to the side. "Go on a road trip with me."

Spencer blinked rapidly. "What?"

"Not a long one, just today. What are you doing today?" She had a wild light in her eye and he knew he would agree.

"I was just going to maybe stop by the library later."

She waved her hand. "I have a library and you can visit it if you like later, but let's you and I go exploring."

"Exploring?" He asked. "Where?"

"I don't know. We just get in a car and drive. Turn around and come back. It could be fun."

Spencer was sure this wasn't the type of thing one did just after a first date, but he liked it. He wanted to go with her. "I don't drive," he felt compelled to tell her.

"I do," she shrugged. "Do you need to let anyone know you'll be gone today?"

"I'll probably tell Morgan so he knows just in case you kill me."

"Sounds reasonable," she said very matter-of-fact.

He looked at her strangely. She was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Hermione smiled at his expression. "I gathered that you would. You've been abducted before, I would wonder if you weren't in the habit of telling someone you trusted before going off with a practical stranger."

"I trust you," he said quickly, not wanting her to misunderstand. "It's just that, well, Morgan can be very precautionary."

She nodded. "Also very reasonable. I myself will have to be sure to mention it to Harry. Did you want to get breakfast first?"

He shook his head, not being hungry and wondered if he was really doing this with her. "Do you really have a library?"

Hermione nodded. "I do. It was something I insisted on when we moved here and the others humored me. George himself insisted on having a basement to work in."

"What does he do?"

"George has a joke shop. He and his twin owned one right after school and he continued it after Fred died a few years ago. He has a few friends of ours running the one in London and thought he could open one here."

Spencer remembered the first thing he heard George say and figured that if that was any clue to who he was as a person, then that was perfect.

"Do you want to go ahead and go?" She asked with a grin. "We have to go back to my house, but then we can go. Let's go south."

Spencer smiled. "I'm ready when you are."

*

Hermione walked into the house with Spencer behind her and George and Luna were both on the couch reading from two huge piles on the coffee table of baby books, her feet in his lap with him rubbing them absentmindedly. Most of them were books he didn't understand, _Raising a Magical Child._ That was an odd title. Odd more, was that they quickly went to move half the books when they saw him. He frowned.

They both smiled up at him. "Hey, mate," George greeted.

"Hello," Spencer said, following Hermione to the kitchen again where she tucked the hyacinth in the vase from the night before. She smiled at the bunch and smelled them again.

"Did you want to see the library right quick?" She asked.

Spencer, in truth, was intrigued and wanted to see the kind of books she had. What he didn't know was that he wouldn't be seeing the majority of the room, only the section safe for Muggles to see without endangering the Statute of Secrecy. She led him down the hall and he felt George and Luna's eyes following them. He had the distinct feeling they were waiting for something. They had something to hide, and in connection, Hermione.

When she opened the door, his breath left him in a whoosh at the large room, bigger than his whole apartment almost. There were books to the vaulted ceiling with an over balcony halfway up and more books. He wondered where she could have acquired all of them as he had never seen a personal library like this. On the opposite wall was possibly one of the biggest fireplaces he had ever seen and all around the room were tables with various books and armchairs. She watched him take in the room with hungry eyes.

"What do you think, doctor?"

"I think it is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen."

"Then I will take that as a complement." She said. "If you would like, you could borrow a few."

Spencer almost salivated at that much knowledge. "I may have to take you up on that at some point." He turned to look at her. "I mean, if you, if we- "

She smiled at his flustering. "I think we will."

And that's all that was said on the matter. Hermione and Spencer went back out and to the opposite end of the hallway, past the kitchen and dining room, where there was a door to the outside. They came out onto the wrap-around porch and down three steps to a red Prius. She unlocked it with keys that she produced from her purse. Now, Garcia had once told him that you could tell a lot about a woman by her purse. Hermione carried an obviously well-loved, well- _worn_ purple beaded bag with one long strap.

"I would have thought your car would be purple," he said as he buckled his seatbelt, thinking that purple was her favorite color.

"Purple is my favorite color," she said as if reading his mind, "but I am also particularly fond of red and gold." She had a secretive smile at this.

"I find green fairly pleasing." He told her, after a moment to think about it. "Like a rainforest."

Hermione pulled out of the driveway. "There was a forest at my boarding school. You should have seen how green it could be. It was rather creepy most of the time, but I can remember times in it where you could actually appreciate that it was pretty."

"I used to imagine taking a trip to the Amazon and studying the plant and animal life there. I've gone to Washington a few times for cases and such, that is a very green place. And rainy. Do you like the rain?"

"Getting wet? No. But the sound it makes, yes." He smiled at her, turning in his seat to see her better.

"I love the rain. I like the streets afterwards; how silvery it is."

Hermione chuckled to herself. "When I was a little girl, my parents were so amused at my disdain for the sensation, that they put me in my raincoat and boots and pulled me outside to dance- hoping it would change my mind or something. I still remember that."

She flinched at the word 'remember' and he wondered if maybe she had brought it up to them once and they had forgotten. He wished it was raining so maybe he could convince her to dance, even if it was ridiculous and they were likely to get sick from it. What was wrong with him? This was insane. He hadn't known her two weeks. This was only the third time with her- the first being their meeting each other. This wasn't him. He wasn't like this. Truly. It was as if someone had taken over him and his thoughts, perhaps a pretty brunette with a pleasant accent and a fondness for the color purple. He didn't realize until they had left town, that he forgot to call Morgan. Or that his phone was dying.

"No! I mean it. She just walked up to him and said, so are you going to marry me now? The rest of us didn't even know they were together."

Spencer thought he could imagine small, delicate Luna doing that. She seemed much like him, not understanding of things to and not to do in a social setting. Except, here in the car with Hermione, just passing the sign telling them they were about a hundred miles from North Carolina, he was amazingly comfortable.

"Do you want to stop and get a bite?" Hermione asked as they passed a few restaurants. He admitted to being peckish. "What are you in the mood for?"

"I picked Thai last night, you pick."

Hermione worried her bottom lip and looked around. "How about pizza? I love American pizza."

"Is it much different in Britain?"

She shrugged. "Enough to notice. Severus is a bit of a snob about it when he visits, but I love it."

Spencer now knew Severus to be her old chemistry teacher. Remus used to teach as well, but she was very careful not to mention his subject, and his son Teddy was her and Harry's godson. Ginny, George, and Ronald were siblings, but they didn't talk anymore. Spencer suspected a relationship gone sour. Luna was an only child, as was apparent of Hermione. Draco was a friend, but he gathered that he hadn't always been, and Neville used to be very close to them. She didn't talk much about their spouses, so he guessed that they were friends- but not very familiar with one another. Hermione, he realized, was very gifted at curbing the subject if she felt uncomfortable. Often when the conversation went toward her school or directly after.

Spencer in turn told her about his mother and his guilt at not being able to take care of her himself. He told her about his team and about how out of place he feels at odd times with them when he feels like he's just watching from behind a window. How he plays back the faces of victims in his sleep. How his eidetic memory is more of a curse than an advantage. She told him that she understood. And she did. She pulled into a restaurant called the Pizza Joint and they went inside.

*

Morgan called again. He had originally called to ask how coffee went, and maybe mention what he and Penelope found out, but that was before the he hadn't got an answer. He called three times. No answer. Straight to voicemail. He tried not to panic. It would do no one any good. He almost called Hotch, when something stopped him.

"Baby Girl?" He called from the living room. She came in from the kitchen. "Think you can track the doc? His phone is going straight to voicemail."

Penelope frowned, a strange thing to see on her face anytime. "Yeah, but then what are you going to do?"

"Do you think you can find Granger's number? If he is with her."

A few minutes later Spencer's tracking in his phone showed him in Coverly. Way farther than they had expected him to be. She showed him the girl's phone number and he called. If he wasn't there, or if he was and he didn't want to be-

The phone clicked.

*

Hermione had again forgotten to silence her phone and felt awful for it ringing while she and Spencer were eating, but he mentioned Luna being pregnant and she picked it up.

"Hullo?"

"Is he with you?" She obviously recognized the voice and knitted her eyebrows at whoever it was.

"Morgan?" She looked up at him and he could have sighed at himself as he pulled out his dead phone.

"Is. He. With. You?" He reiterated.

"Yes, we've gone on a road trip for the afternoon."

"That doesn't sound like him. Where is he?"

Hermione refrained from rolling eyes, but only just. "Would you like to speak to him?"

"Please." Then she was holding out her phone for him to take and he took it.

"Hello, Morgan." Spencer took a few minutes to explain that he merely forgot to call and tell Morgan about the spontaneity- another sign of him not being of sound mind lately- and that his phone was dead. Hermione mentioned that he could charge it in the car. Reluctantly, Morgan accepted this as the truth and waved to Penelope that everything was okay and she didn't have to call Hotch, whose number was up and ready.

Morgan put a hand on his hip. "Did you know your girl was knighted?"

Hermione didn't know what the man on the phone had just said, but whatever it was made Spencer look up at her questioning and slightly suspicious. She knew he was curious when she changed topic from things dealing with magic, mainly Hogwarts. She wasn't dumb enough to believe he hadn't noticed.

Spencer hung up the phone and handed it to her. "You were knighted?" He mostly just blurted the question out without meaning to. He had meant to bring it up more smoothly- if he brought it up at all. The effect was immediate as she blushed, paled, and went green all at the same time.

"He looked me up, did he?" She asked, avoiding the question and taking a sip of her iced tea.

Spencer said quickly, "I didn't ask him to. I promise. I had no idea he was going to." Although, he probably should have. Didn't they do the same thing when JJ met William?

"It's quite alright," she said softly. "I had to have expected it at some point." She set her drink down very deliberately. "Yes. I was knighted. The official account being that Harry, Ron and I help thwart a terrorist group, but I'm afraid anything more than that would violate far too many laws to attempt. Surely you understand?"

He did. She wasn't a soldier. She was a general. "Was your school a military academy of sorts?"

"It wasn't meant to be."

*

Spencer had almost fallen asleep on the way back, but kept himself awake on crappy coffee from a gas station. He also wanted to talk to her more. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to kiss her. He had never particularly liked any physical contact. It made him uncomfortable, but he found he rather liked holding her hand.

"I like you," he said aloud. She turned to look at him, the glow from a red light on her face. "I mean, we've met, gone on one date, had coffee, a day long road trip, and I _really_ like you. I don't really understand things like this, but I have read that it is too early on any scale to mention anything official."

"I believe that scale was written for people who don't know what they want." She told him carefully. "We are both of above average intelligence. Why can we not ignore the scale? I like you, Spencer. There- is something about you that interferes with my logical thought processes."

"I have been trying to think of a way to phrase it, thank you. I couldn't agree with you more."

The light turned green and she started driving again. "Then where does this take us?"

"What is the next stage?"

"Boyfriend/Girlfriend, I suppose, though I loathe the juvenility to that phrase."

Spencer's chest beat wildly as he said. "We could just use the term steady, or together, and the intent is there."

Hermione smiled at him and the beating skipped. "That's perfect."

"I-I am gone a lot. On cases and such."

"I have things I can't tell you about.

"I can except that."

"Then so can I."

 **A/N: Okay. Now, before you all start squealing the way I do when I read this sort of thing, let me just say that all of this came to when I wrote it. I had no preconceptions for this chapter past coffee. The road trip, Morgan, the couple talk, all spontaneous. Before you jump at how soon it is, let me just say that my husband and I said our I-Love-You's the first night we met and he asked me to marry him two days later. We are still blissfully happy three years later. Some people are just like that. I don't believe that restrictions should exist. If you find a love and you recognize it for what it is- GO FOR IT!**

 **Second, the whole thing with him going missing for the day is not legit I just needed it to be for my story. Actually, FBI is expected to be able to be contacted at all times. They always carry their pager and phone. Also, if one was to do something drastically outside of his normal schedule like this, he is supposed to call his overseer for his area or something to let him know. Like half of the FBI is there to keep track of other members of the FBI. All of this courtesy of research my husband did in 1992.**

 **Somewhere in here, I quoted Jack and The Cuckoo-Clock Heart (my favorite movie tied with Mr. Right). Have any of you seen it, and if you did, did you recognize it?**

 **Also, the Pizza Joint is a real restaurant in South Carolina and Georgia and I LOVE THEM! I think I mentioned Cutter's Point in Olympia. They're smoothies are amazing and like a thousand times better than Starbucks. I hate Starbucks. Tell me what you guys thought! Or if you have any questions at all. I will answer them. Love always, Skye.**


	5. Careful

Chapter five: Careful

Hermione woke to a text message from Spencer. She grabbed at her phone, sliding it to the side to read it.

 _More than 1,500 deaths a year are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel._ Hermione bit her lip with a grin at such a morbid fact and texted back.

 **Is that supposed to mean 'Good morning'?**

 _I thought you might appreciate the originality._

 **I like it.**

 _Good. Good morning._

 **Good morning, Spencer.**

They had met up for lunch twice over the week and after work once, going to the park and just walking around talking without any real purpose or destination. He had indeed been teased when he went to work on Monday morning. Morgan remained hesitant, but Spencer thought that if he could just meet her he would understand. Hermione had told Ginny and Luna all about it and, apparently, they told everyone else because even Draco sent her an owl to congratulate her on her finally closing the door to the weasel. She found this rather ironic when she thought about him in fourth year, being a ferret. They didn't talk about that anymore. Hermione rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. Teddy was coming over this afternoon and she couldn't wait to take him roller-skating. And he was not allowed alone with George without an adult supervising. That was just asking for trouble.

She had just pulled on her Gryffindor shirt when her door burst open and Harry pulled her into a tight hug. She patted his arm that he was choking her and he let go, only to look over her very carefully. Like he had after the final battle.

"Harry, what's going on?" He said nothing, only staring at her intensely. "Harry?"

He hugged her again and whispered in her ear, "They're coming."

"Who is?" Hermione said when he dragged her downstairs to the library. Remus, Severus, Teddy, and the usuals were waiting for them. Severus looked positively shaken. Seren looked confused. George was close to tears with a pale Luna in his lap to comfort him. Ginny's face was red and puffy at George's side.

"What's going on?" She asked as Teddy ran to her open arms and she lifted him up.

"Aberforth Dumbledore is dead." Draco said.

Hermione frowned, understandably upset at the loss of their mentor's brother. "What happened? Who is coming?"

"So is Luna's father," George said.

"And Ron." Luna said with her head on his shoulder.

Hermione gasped, feeling like her legs were going to collapse from beneath her so she sat down in an armchair. She and Ron had fought the last time she talked to him. They had both said awful things to one another. But she had loved him as a friend for six years, and more than for four. He would always be their third part of the Golden Trio. She hadn't realized how quiet Teddy was being. He had tear tracks.

Remus looked down at the carpet. "They killed Andromeda as well."

Teddy sniffed and buried his face into her. Hermione's thoughts were swirling. They were all people close to them. All people who they cared about. "Do the Aurors have any idea who did this? Or what they want?"

Severus snorted and stood to pace, as was his tendency when he was stressed or thinking hard. "We know who it is, they sent a bloody note! Jareth Selwyn."

She furrowed her brow, recognizing the name from somewhere. The Sacred Twenty-Eight. The Selwyns were part of it. "Why him?"

"He was a Death Eater. Not one used well by his master, but outrageously loyal. He is at least as crazy and devoted as Bellatrix was, just not as gifted or valuable. He never got anywhere close to the Dark Lord, but he made his love known. He's coming after us. Me first, then picking the rest of you off one by one."

"Why you?" Seren asked.

"Because I was the spy, the traitor."

Remus stood up and walked over to Teddy and Hermione. "We came to ask if Teddy could stay here for a while. Until he is found and either dead or imprisoned as he should have been."

"Of course he can," Harry said. "You all can. Please."

Severus shook his head. "Remus and I have talked about it the moment we found out. We're going to stay in London and help look for him. I think he is working with others and this was a grand beginning. He is trying to mock us."

"Then I will come help," Harry said. "I owe at least that much to Ron."

"No," Remus cut him off. "You owe nothing to no one. It would be just your luck to survive Voldemort and die by one of his lapdogs. I can't let you Prongslet. I owe that. To Sirius, to James and Lily, to me. You stay here. Protect my son."

Harry said nothing, staring at his father's best friend, who had come to be one of his. "Okay." He said finally.

Neville agreed. "I have to stay as well, if only to help look after the students. I do hope, however, that you will allow Seren to stay with you until they can find him. I don't want anything to happen to her."

Draco said something to the same affect with more pompous words and looking every bit like his father before him. If he realized, it didn't show. Hermione hugged Teddy tighter to her. "He can come to school with me. I'm sure I can get him enrolled. I doubt it will take too long." Then, "When are they holding the funeral burnings?"

Harry looked to Severus, who had been quiet for a few moments, for an answer. "They're having a public ceremony for the burnings in a week, but- " He was obviously struggling with how to say something, "I don't think it would be a good idea for all of you to attend."

"You think he might be planning to do something at the burning." Hermione said, not asking.

Severus looked at her and nodded slowly. "I do."

"I have to go," George said seriously. "He was my brother."

"And I," Harry said, and cut Remus off before he could object. "I will consent to staying here instead of coming to help with the search, but I have to go to the burning. I won't listen to you if you try to stop me."

Remus nodded, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. "James and Sirius would be proud."

"I'm not doing it for them."

"I'm going." Ginny said firmly, not having spoken yet. She held a hand up to Harry and George about to protest. "He's my brother and I'm going. I don't care what either of you say."

Hermione looked down at her godson. "Then I will stay here. Luna, Seren, Astoria, Teddy, and I will stay here." She looked up at Remus. "I will look out for him."

"I know," he said. "I trust you. That's why I named you godmother."

She smiled, pulling Teddy closer and laying a kiss on his forehead. "I love you, little bear."

"I love you, Aunt Mi." He whispered with a breath.

"Aunt Mi?" Hermione groaned and looked over to Teddy standing in her doorway with his bear that he had had since he was born. It was the first thing Hermione had ever given him. "What's wrong, little bear?"

"Can I sleep in here with you?" Hermione yawned and scooted over to make room, patting the cleared spot for him. He didn't hesitate, jumping up and cuddling close to her. She had almost fallen asleep when he asked, "Daddy and Sev are gonna be okay, won't they?"

"Of course they will," she insisted with a not entirely foreign ball of fear planted firmly in her abdomen. "Your daddy and Severus are two of the bravest men I have ever met. They'll be back to you in no time."

"Tell me about you and Uncle Harry again. The one with the troll."

Hermione sighed softly and pulled him closer, knowing she would not be getting much sleep tonight. "It was our first year and we were all so excited to actually be able to start making things fly in Charms- "

"And Uncle Ron was saying it wrong." Tears stung Hermione's eyes at this but she squeezed them shut in hopes of pushing them back.

"Are you telling it? Or am I?"

"You are."

"Right. I only wanted to help him get it right, but- "

Teddy interrupted again, this time more excitedly and imitating the words to his bear. "You do it then, if you're so clever."

Hermione kissed his cheek. "And so I did… "

*

She woke up the next morning to her godson talking. She yawned herself awake and blinked her eyes open a few times- taking in the bright sunlight shining off of the periwinkle walls of her bedroom. She glanced around for her phone to check the time, when she noticed it wasn't on her bedside table, and that Teddy was talking into it.

"Why is the sky blue?"

She could hear through the phone Spencer's voice answering in his way, but she would swear he sounded amused. "A clear cloudless day-time sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the sun more than they scatter red light. When we look towards the sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours because the blue light has been scattered out and away from the line of sight."

Hermione sat up all the way and got out from under the covers. "Teddy? Give me the phone."

He looked at her with a massive grin. "Aunt Mi! He knows everything!"

She chuckled. "You know, I bet if you asked nicely Harry would make some eggs in a basket."

Teddy gasped excitedly. "Really?"

At her nod, he thrust the phone at her and bounded out the door to wake his godfather. Sure enough a moment later she could hear Harry groaning. She put the phone up to her ear, still smiling. "Good morning, Spencer."

"I do hope he knows it is impossible to really know everything."

She chuckled. "It is not! Teddy knows everything at least a few times a day."

"Well, he sounded like a good kid."

"He is," she said fondly, the memories of the day before pushing themselves into her mind unwanted and unrelenting. Dumbledore, Luna's father, Andromeda… Ron. All dead.

Spencer then said, "I'm leaving for a case. Here in about an hour. I thought you would like to know."

"You'll be careful, won't you?" She asked and Spencer blinked to himself. She was worried about him. "I'm always careful."

"Be extra careful."

He didn't bother telling her that he was always as careful as called for, therefore 'extra careful' was null and void. He liked that she was worried. So he said, "I will. Do you want me to call you when we land?"

"Please," she said. "At least a text to tell me you got there alright." She took a shaky breath. "Teddy's going to be staying here for a while." "What happened?"

She wasn't entirely sure how to tell it to a Muggle. "Ron's dead. As well as a few other people we know. Things just aren't safe in Britain at the moment, so he's going to stay here until it is."

" _You_ be careful, okay?" He wasn't sure what was going on, but she had that tone that said she was not going to tell him anymore.

"I will be." She told him, thinking of Teddy. Since he was born, they had had a special bond. Teddy loved all of them, but there was no denying who was his favorite, and he had stolen Hermione's heart from the moment she held him.

They hung up and Hermione went downstairs still in her night clothes to find Teddy and George talking. George was asking him how it felt when he changed his hair so he could make a candy that would do it. He thought he could slow it down and make it for Muggles. Harry was indeed making eggs in a basket and Luna, Ginny, Astoria and Seren were looking through wedding magazines. Seren had asked Hermione, Astoria, and Ginny to be bridesmaids with Luna as her Maid of Honor. She had also decided she wanted a Muggle wedding so her family could come and not just her parents. Neville would have married her on the moon if she asked.

They had met not long after the war when he, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione were all meeting for lunch. She had been the waitress. She had tripped and he caught the dish and they looked at each other. That was it really. Everything after that was second since everyone could see they were perfect for each other.

"I really like ivory for the dress, but I don't think it would look right on me. I am thinking about for the overall wedding colors, peach and dove gray. I just love the idea of you all wearing peach dresses with a gray ribbon."

"You could wear peach." Luna suggested. "It would look good and we could wear the dove gray. Maybe some peach colored flowers?"

"Oh Luna! That's perfect."

Ginny flipped a page. "And you're going to have it in June? We don't have much time." "We're tired of waiting like we did when we couldn't decide. We're doing it on June 27, the anniversary of when we met."

Hermione sat down with them and grabbed a magazine.

"Alright, little bear, don't forget- "

"This is what I have to look like anytime I leave the house or a Muggle is in the house, but Muggles can't come upstairs, so there I'm safe." Hermione smiled at the boy, his blue hair replaced with his natural brown, stormy blue eyes, and a light dusting of freckles over his cheeks and nose. She clicked his seat belt for him, something he was having trouble with, and shut the door. "Aunt Mi, why do I have to use a booster seat?"

"Because that's what the law wants."

"I don't have to at home."

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

She watched him roll his eyes in the rearview mirror and huff at her. "I know the difference between Italy and the States, Aunt Mi."

She chuckled. "Here there are laws that you have to use the booster or I can get in trouble. When did you get so troublesome?"

"How old am I?"

"You spend too much time with George," she said under her breath as they neared the school. "Which reminds me, no pranking Muggles. At all."

"What about the Muggle who knew everything?"

"He doesn't _actually_ know everything, Teddy, and his name is Spencer."

"Well, _I_ know he doesn't know everything, I just don't think _he_ does." Hermione's jaw dropped at him. Kids were like tiny alcoholics.

She ushered him through the hallways, adorned with pictures drawn by various grades and brightly painted murals as was tradition for the fifth graders before they went to middle school. They approached the main office. Hermione had been able to enroll him over the weekend with some conjured paperwork and a Confounding charm that made her feel slightly guilty. The front receptionist smiled at her when she came in and set her paperwork down to lean over the counter.

"Hey, Hermione. This must be your nephew, Teddy?"

"Yes, he's staying with me for a little while. Teddy, this is Miss Hurst. Do you want to say hello?"

Teddy stood more behind Hermione. "Not particularly."

Hermione sighed and smiled apologetically at Rebecca Hurst. Severus was a bad influence on Teddy. They moved past the office and down, taking turns Teddy was sure to make notes of, and stopping outside of a locked door. She pulled a set of keys out of her purse and Teddy watched closely as she unlocked the door without magic.

He did much better than she thought he would. Not that she thought he would misbehave, but she didn't expect him to be all that social. He found a friend in the first hour of class, Henry LeMontagne. He was a sweet boy too. After school was out, and most of the students picked up, Hermione took Teddy to get ice cream as she had promised him earlier in the day.

Thursday was the day of the funeral burnings. Harry, George, and Ginny left early to an open field near the Ministry- often used for this sort of thing. There were more people than they had expected, but maybe they shouldn't have been surprised as it was Ronald Weasley- one third of the Golden Trio, and Aberforth Dumbledore- brother of one of the most beloved and most powerful wizards to ever live. Not to even mention, the disowned daughter of the Black family, and a war hero's father. Press were crowded around, trying to coerce people to give quotes and who better than to be at the front than Rita Skeeter? She saw Harry Potter as soon as he arrived and swooped down with her vicious Dicta-Quill; more like a vulture than her beetle Animagus form.

"Mr. Potter, the public has been curious, where did the Chosen One go when he left Britain? Why did you leave? Why is Hermione Granger not here? Is it because she refuses to see Mr. Weasley in his death after her cruel break up with him?"

"I suggest you leave, Miss Skeeter, while you still can."

"There's no need to be so rude, Mr. Potter, I speak for the people. You can tell me, can't you?" Her quill dragged across his face.

Ginny jerked him towards her and away from the journalist. "Go away and show some respect."

They joined the rest of the Weasley family, Molly pulling them close to her as she sobbed. "I'm so glad you're all okay. Where's Hermione? Is she okay?"

George pulled back first. "She's at home with Luna, Teddy, and the others. We didn't think it safe for all of us to come. Severus thinks they might try something here, but we had to come."

She pursed her lips slightly at the Slytherin's name, that being one of the many reasons they had fought. "But surely Luna would want to be here for her father?"

"We aren't taking any chances," he said. She looked confused, and then her eyes widened.

"Is she?"

George nodded. "We're having twins." She pulled him into another tight hug and sob until Kingsley Shacklebolt came over and shook hands with Harry.

"You shouldn't be here, you know the risk- " "We had to, but then we are going back home and staying out of it."

The dark man nodded and took his place as Minister to start the ceremony. He held his wand to his mouth. "Witches and wizards, thank you for coming." People settled into place and Severus glanced around to see if he noticed anyone. Almost two thousand people crowded for the four fallen. He could almost guarantee something was being planned for this. "-all of which played key roles in the defeat of Voldemort-" Most of the crowd still flinched. Something wasn't right. Severus started walking slowly around, further from where Remus was near the pyres and tried to figure out why his fight or flight instinct just kicked in. Remus looked to him in silent question, but he shook his head and kept on.

He had seen the reports of how the victims died. Dumbledore died first, gunshot to the back of the head. Lovegood died second, by poison, but not a Wizarding poison. No, it was an overdose of some Muggle narcotic he couldn't remember at the moment. Strange. Then Andromeda. She had been raped and decapitated, her head displayed. Then Weasley. He had been beaten to death with some odd object. All four of them found for all to see in the heart of Muggle London. Severus stopped.

Muggle.

All of these deaths had something to do with the other world. Weasley, those shapes were made by a hammer. They were using Muggle weapons to punish them for being 'Muggle lovers'. This many people, someone in the crowd turned as the pyres were being lit by a team. He was wearing a cloak, but Severus recognized him as Selwyn. He was leaving rather hastily. Why, no!

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Severus turned and tackled Remus to the ground as the field shook and was engulfed in fire and explosion.

Spencer called Hermione when he got home, placing his keys on the neat hook beside the door, sitting down on a chair and methodically untying his shoes as he listened to the ringing. It picked up and her voice made him smile for the first time since he had left. He hated child cases.

"Hey, you." She greeted. It was forced. Something was happening or she was worried about something.

"Hello, how are you?" There was a pause where he could tell she was debating on telling the truth or not.

"As well as to be expected." Honesty, if very vague.

He remembered her friend died, as well as some others she didn't name. He wondered how they all died, obviously they had to have died together. Maybe an automobile accident? No. She said Britain wasn't safe. They each must have been targeted. He thought about doing more research on the terrorist attacks of the nineties. "What's on your mind?"

Another pause of truth vs. lie. "Just reading and watching Teddy try to put a jigsaw puzzle together."

He heard a voice in the background complain. "I'm doing more than try. I'm almost half way done!"

"You're not even close to halfway," she said teasingly.

"I could be, if I had chocolate milk. Spencer told me chocolate milk helps you grow."

Spencer frowned. "I never said that."

"How long did you talk before I woke up?" She laughed. He could hear her getting up as she talked to her godson. "You can have chocolate milk now, but that means juice with dinner. Apple, not pumpkin." Spencer furrowed his brow. That was odd. He heard the roar of a fire it seemed and a thud. Then the phone falling to the floor.

"HARRY!"

"Hermione…" That was undoubtedly the green-eyed man, but he was also undoubtedly in pain. "Check Severus first, he was closer."

There was a deeper groan and Hermione sounded terrified. He could hear Teddy crying. "Why didn't you take him to St. Mungo's? I'm not a Healer! What about Draco?"

"Hermione?" Spencer called, lacing his shoes back up and hoping someone would hear him. "What's going on?" He heard someone pick the phone up from the floor.

"He demanded we bring him here."

"Why does he have wood in his- a bomb. They used a bomb?!"

There was a new voice he hadn't heard before. It sounded very proper. Draco, he deducted from their conversations. "He was looking for Selwyn. He must have worked it out because he shouted for everyone to get down and- "

"And he ran back to throw me to the ground. He saved my life. Again."

"Spencer?" A voice whispered. Teddy. He was shaky and obviously watching whatever was going on closely.

Spencer jogged down the stairs and took a left. "Teddy? What's going on?"

"I don't know. Sev and Uncle Harry are bleeding a lot. Sev is bleeding." He could hear the kid's breathing hitch with a strangled cry from the injured man. He shouldn't be watching this.

"Teddy, do you have a room there?"

"Y-yes. Aunt Mi put it next to the secret room."

"Secret room?" Spencer asked. It was an old house. Built somewhere in the early 1800's, almost certainly built with rooms for runaway slaves.

"She told me to go there in case of an emergency."

Spencer almost smiled. Hermione seemed to always be prepared. She kept bottled water, flashlights, matches, blankets, and non-perishables in her trunk. "Go there until someone comes to get you, okay? You can bring the phone if you want, I'm on my way."

"Okay," the boy said in a quiet voice.

When he came up to the house, he said. "I'm going to hang up, okay? I'm coming inside."

There was blood smeared from the fireplace to the dining room. There was a partially put together puzzle of a castle, pieces scattered around and a scuff mark from a small shoe. Spencer swallowed hard and followed it, his gun out as a precaution and hearing a slew of voices. One he recognized as George.

"Where's Luna?"

"She took Seren and Astoria with her to the shop."

"Dittany, Ginny, I need the dittany."

There was another loud cry as Spencer came to the room. There was a man laying on the long table in just his pants with blood pooled around him. Hermione was doing something, something he wasn't quite sure of and then she was applying some liquid to wounds. He could hear it sizzle.

"Hermione." He whispered. Everyone looked up at him. Harry was sitting on a kitchen chair, his shirt off and slivers of wood still in his skin. Then the man on the table, who he supposed was Severus, groaned low again and Hermione's attention was refocused.

"Someone get him out of here," she said and he noticed for the first time, a long thin piece of wood in her hand.

A man came toward him, his face scarred but his demeanor tranquil. "Please, come with me."

"What's going on?" He asked. "Hermione?" But then he watched colors come out of the tip of the wood and to the unconscious man. He watched the wounds start to knit up. Heard her sing under her breath, "Vulnera Sanentur." He recognized the Latin. Healed wounds.

"Get him out of here!" Ginny said again. The man closest to him pulled him, not ungently, out of the dining room and down to the sitting room- but did not make him leave the house. Then he looked around wildly.

"Teddy?!" This must be Remus then.

"He's upstairs." Spencer said. "I was on the phone with Hermione when this happened. She dropped the phone and he picked it up. I thought he probably shouldn't be seeing whatever happened so I asked if he had a room to go to. He's in the secret room."

Spencer didn't know why he was being so calm about this. He had just watched his girlfriend do something that looked suspiciously like magic. But that was preposterous. He stared into the fire unblinking and wondered if he had gone insane. Like his mother. He knew he was just going into shock. He needed to calm down. Hermione was Hermione and he was sure that whatever happened she had a good, not crazy, explanation for it.

The fire flashed green and tall dark-skinned man walked out of the fireplace. Spencer's eyes widened and he was sure that if Remus hadn't acted as if it were not at all strange, he would have fainted. He didn't like acknowledging the fact, it made him feel weak, but he was intelligent enough to accept that as fact. The man, an obvious man of power, looked at Spencer and then to Remus.

"How is he?"

Remus took a shaky breath. "Hermione and Draco are stitching he and Harry up."

"What happened?" He spoke in a rich voice and accent.

"He was walking around, I think to see if he saw anything suspicious. He was doing that calculating thing where you knew he was thinking. Next thing I know he's yelling for everyone to get down, and shielding me from the blast. Harry was hit with some, but not like Severus." The man nodded, both men completely ignoring Spencer- for which he wasn't sure if he was grateful for or not.

"Merlin help me if the press thought it killed the Boy-Who-Lived. Or Skeeter." Then he noticed Spencer. "Who is this?"

"This is the young man Hermione has been seeing. Here by happy accident."

He sighed. "Do you think she'll obliviate him?"

Remus frowned. "You know how she feels about that."

"Then I have never seen this man before in my life." And he went down the hall to the others.

"What did he mean by that? Both parts." Spencer clarified.

Remus looked at him hard, as if trying to figure out something. "Obliviate is to erase your memories so you don't remember anything about today."

"Like Hermione's parents." Spencer said, piecing it together. The way she flinched at the memory. The guilt he saw. She obliviated her own parents.

"You can't judge her for that." The man said sharply. "They were dark days and she was in the middle of it. She erased their memories so they wouldn't remember her. Therefore could escape the country untargeted."

"Why did he say he didn't see me?"

"He's the Minister for Magic. He also knows Hermione will fight so that you don't lose your memories. He could get into a good bit of trouble if he found out a Muggle knew and left it alone. Especially if the Daily Prophet caught onto the story."

Spencer almost threw up. What had he gotten himself into? Logic. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. He had seen it with his own eyes, and he knew he was very much sane. So, this had to true.

"Would it help if I explained more?" Remus asked. Spencer realized he had just said all of that out loud. "That way you have a better grasp and easier time accepting?"

Spencer nodded. "He came out of the fire."

"It's called the Floo network. If a fireplace is connected to the network and has a fire burning, you can Floo there. Basically. There are ways to only allow certain people. Or make it to where children can't use it. You use Floo powder. Throw it at your feet, say the name of your destination very clearly, and you're there."

"So, Hermione's a- "

"A witch. Brightest witch of her age. I remember the first time I ever called her that. Everyone else just sort of adopted the term."

Spencer nodded. "What's a Muggle?"

"Non-magic folk."

"Ah." Then there was a man floating. The same man, Severus, that was on the table. Hermione held up the piece of wood, he supposed it was a wand, and floated him down the hall towards where Spencer and Remus were and stopped outside of a door. Remus quickly went to open it and Spencer saw what he assumed to be a guest room of sorts with a large bed and dark green walls.

"How is he?" Remus asked Ginny, who was being leaned against by Harry.

"He'll live, but he may not be able to walk for a while." She told him in hushed tones. "He'll probably have a limp for the rest of his life. He was very lucky."

Remus nodded with a pale and guilty face.

Spencer watched them set Severus down, a blonde man doing something with his own wand and making a pale blue light fall around the brown bedspread. Hermione's clothes, she was wearing yellow again, were covered in blood. The blonde, and really everyone else were as well. She was shaking and he didn't think as he walked over to pull her close. She immediately buried her face in his neck and inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. He could feel tears against his skin, but said nothing.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I wanted to tell you, but- "

"I imagine this is what you meant by the breaking of multiple laws." He said, still not sure what he was feeling. First was worry about her. His girlfriend was a witch. Okay.

She nodded and went to say something else but the dark-skinned man, Kinslgey, stopped her. "At least wait until I leave," he said in a tired voice. "I want to have plausible deniability."

"Someone should go get Teddy," Spencer said absently- very pointedly not watching as Kingsley disappeared through the green flames to the Ministry of Magic. Hermione sniffed and pulled him with her upstairs. He had only been here three times, each very short, and had never been close to the stairs. At the time it didn't seem odd at all.

Everyone followed except George, who went to go get Luna and the others- Draco tagging along to see his wife, whom he sorely missed. Ginny led Harry to what Spencer assumed was their bedroom. The upstairs was just as open as the downstairs, various pictures lining the walls much the same. With one difference. These pictures were moving. Spencer watched a group of four boys, one looking remarkably like Harry, another a young Remus, shove each other playfully and smirk at the camera. Harry was throwing a giggling, blue-haired Teddy into the air and catching him. A large family of redheads all waving madly. George and his twin grinning in front of a large shop with a large W.

Remus and Hermione went to the left, past a door on either side and next to a door the he could tell led to the deck. Remus nodded to Hermione and moved one of the paintings, tilted to the side of a very dirty Harry and Hermione and a redhead he recognized from others as Ron. The were all sitting on a large piece of rubble in front of a magnificent castle with Hermione leaning her head on Harry's shoulder and her arm around Ron. A door sized portion of the wall moved to show a room brightly lit with a cowering Teddy- with blue hair.

"Teddy?"

"Daddy?" His voice was soft and uncertain. "Where's Aunt Mi? Spencer? Spencer said he was coming."

Remus and Hermione looked over to him and he cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I'm right here."

Teddy came out of the room, blue hair still there until it faded into the soft brown he was used to in the pictures Hermione showed. He wrapped his arms around his father. "Is Sev okay?"

"He's going to be just fine, okay? When he wakes up, I'm positive you'll be the first thing he will want to see."

"You're all covered in blood." He pointed out.

Spencer cleared his throat again. "Minor cuts on the head often bleed heavily because the face and scalp have many blood vessels close to the surface of the skin. Although this amount of bleeding may be alarming, many times the injury is not severe and the bleeding will stop with treatment you can do at home."

The boy gave Spencer a watery smile and hugged his legs. "I'm glad you came." Then he pulled away with a gasp. "You can't be upstairs. You're a- "

He stopped himself but Spencer smiled awkwardly. "A Muggle?"

Teddy's eyes widened and he nodded. Hermione hugged her godson. "It's okay. He can know now. But only him."

Teddy nodded and his hair turned blue again. Spencer honestly thought his meter of strange was running high and he needed a breather. Hermione seemed to understand this and let Remus lead Teddy downstairs again and Hermione pulled him toward her room. More pictures. Remus spinning Hermione around in a dance. She looked younger, late teens, and she was wearing a red dress. Then an even younger Hermione, bushy haired and buck toothed, with Harry and Ron- all in their school uniforms. Hermione had a stack of books in her arms. Hermione and Ginny smiling at whoever was taking the picture. A very young Harry blinking surprised at the bright flash of a camera.

"Colin Creevey took that one," Hermione said, coming in from her bathroom looking cleaner and in a pair of night pants and shirt. He hadn't realized she left. "It was the first he ever took of him. He was Harry's biggest fan." She stopped. "He died in the war. His was perhaps one of the deaths I always felt most guilty about."

Spencer frowned. "War?"

She stared at the picture, lost momentarily to a long ago memory. "I was a strange child." She started, climbing onto her bed and motioning for him to join her. He slipped his shoes off, not pausing to do his normal untying process, and joined her with his arms positioned that she could come closer if she wanted. She did.

 **A/N: So, nothing drives me crazier than when I go to bring my chapter over to FFN and the formatting gets all wonky. Meh. Anyway. I hope you guys like it. I debated very seriously about killing Remus, but I decided to not to. I love him way too much. Who is y'all's favorite character? Not from mine, but canon. My favorite is by far Severus Snape. Least favorite? Nothing makes me lose my temper more than talking about Dumbledore. I hate that guy. Not a huge Ronald Weasley fan either. Let me know in the towel section down below! Love always, Skye.**


	6. Comfort

**So, WOW! Thank you for all the comments. This chapter is mostly a quick filler update before I FINALLY make it bed at like 2 in the afternoon. To those that reply under guest, please I implore you to atleast write a name or something I can refer to you as when commenting on your comment. One comment in particular from a guest, let's call her Lola, wanted me to write a Rossi is secretly Hermione's father fic. I absolutely love stories where Hermione find her real parents and was adopted. I have a story where Severus is her father. I love them. So, Lola, I accept your request but I do have a few questions. You mentioned Hermione ending up with either Spencer or Hotch but that you didn't like stories with her and Derek Morgan. Which of the two choices you named would you prefer? I can write either one. Also, let me know if you had any other requests to go in it. Love all the feedback. Also, to 'maraudersanarchy', I can write something for Derek and Hermione. Would you prefer me to upload it with one of the chapters or message it to you? To the guest concerned with angst. I hate unnecessary angst. Makes me think of anime. However, I felt that if I didn't write the last chapter the way I did, I would not have done the characters justice. I am, afterall, dealing with some very particularly angsty characters from canon. Harry, Remus, Severus, Draco. Hope you guys like the fluff! Love always, Skye.**

Chapter six: Comfort

Hermione fell asleep in his arms once the story was told and her tears were done. He laid there, in the most uncomfortable position, his arm completely dead from her laying on it, and and watched her sleep. There was something soothing about watching her breathe in and out slowly. Occasionally she would make a most darling noise in her sleep and he would kiss her nose, which would quiver. She slept only for an hour, but was obviously feeling much better when she did. Her eyelids fluttered awake and she opened her eyes to look at him and smile.

"Good morning."

"Good afternoon, I believe, would be the more proper term."

She started to sit up. "Wow, I did not mean to fall asleep on you like that."

"That's alright," he told her truthfully, thinking to himself how pretty she was in the early afternoon glow having just woken up. "You are so beautiful, Hermione."

She smiled at him. "I'm glad you think so."

Before he could say anything, she was getting out of bed and stretching. He watched her arms go up, her shirt rising to uncover just a part of her stomach, and her toes wriggling on the wood flooring. He thought to himself how very content he would be to have her always wake up like this. To be able to be here when she woke up. Then he frowned. They hadn't hardly known each other three weeks and here he was wanting to do this everyday. Thinking that maybe he loved her. He knew that by any normal standards this was way too soon, but even she had said that they were intelligent people who could talk and had no qualms with what they wanted.

"I love you." He said in awe, watching her pull her hair up in a messy bun. She stopped, looking at him in the mirror before turning around to look at him straight on. He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, I know-"

Then she was kissing him, really kissing him, and pulling back to leave him breathless. "I love you."

He leaned forward to kiss her again, rewarded by her soft lips before there was a squeal at the door. "My eyes! I've been blinded!"

They parted to find Teddy and Remus at the door, the former covering his eyes dramatically and the latter looking rather amused. "George was going to order take-out, we came to take requests. Unless you would rather your privacy?"

They both blushed. "Lo mein, please. And maybe some sweet and sour pork?"

Everyone looked to Spencer and he shifted. "I should probably be getting back to my apartment."

That was the last thing he wanted to do really, with Hermione with him, smelling amazingly like apples and honey. Teddy slumped and Hermione whispered. "You could just, _stay._ I mean, you don't have to, but I would like for you too."

He looked at her, searching her face for any hint she didn't want him to. "I'll have the same thing then."

Teddy whooped and bounded after his father down the stairs two at a time. Hermione hugged him tight and then pulled him downstairs as well. When they entered the sitting room, everyone looked up. Hermione could tell Spencer wasn't sure what to do, so she did all of the introductions. He shook everyone's hand and George clapped his back hard. "Welcome to the family."

"Are you two alright? Your head are full of Wrackspurts." Spencer looked to Hermione just shrugged and shook her head.

"So," Draco said when they sat at the dining table to eat, his wife Astoria sitting beside him. "You're some kind of Muggle law enforcement."

"FBI," Spencer said, having a sick feeling. "Very high law enforcement."

"Why should Hermione trust you?" Hermione scolded him, but Draco ignored her and waited for Spencer's answer.

Spencer set his fork down, not being coordinated enough to use chopsticks like Hermione. "Maybe she shouldn't. You don't know that. But why shouldn't she? What could I possibly do? If I even remotely wanted to say anything about magic to anyone they would think me insane. Her records are entirely too clean for me to try and frame her for a crime. I love Hermione and I would never do anything to hurt her. I suppose that's really all you have to go on and you will have to deal with that."

The table waited and watched the two. And then Draco smirked. "Well said. Perhaps you could have worthy enough to have been a Slytherin." And then he was back to eating his fried rice.

Teddy wrinkled his nose, having been difficult and demanded chicken nuggets and macaroni. "I think he would have been in Ravenclaw. He's a know-it-all like Aunt Mi."

Hermione glared at Draco, who still called her regularly. "You know Spencer, I never told you about some of our favorite memories. Like third year, breaking Draco's nose. Golden."

"Or Hermione's buck teeth fourth year? I wish I'd taken a picture."

"Yes, fourth year. Tell me, Draco, do you still cringe when you see a ferret?" Astoria choked on her pumpkin juice.

"He does." She chuckled. "Every time. My sister has one. Named it Malfoy."

Draco's cheeks pinked. "Astoria! You promised!"

"I'm sorry," she lied, still laughing.

*

Spencer woke up spooning something not his pillow. He almost sat up, but stopped himself upon remembering Hermione. He smiled to himself and pulled her closer.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione mumbled incoherently and rolled over to face him with a tired smile. "I love you. I like waking up with you."

"I do too. With you, I mean. Not- "

She giggled and kissed him, cutting his sentence off. Then she kissed him again and he kissed her back deeply, holding her to him tightly. She entangled her hands in his hair, tugging softly and he was leaning over her kissing her with everything he had. Hermione pulled his shirt off over his head and ran her hands over his chest, placing open mouthed kisses where she could. He groaned and tugged her shirt off as well, the two of them proceeding to get lost in one another.


	7. Conflagration

Chapter seven: Conflagration

Spencer whistled as he walked into the office on Monday, tossing his keys up a few inches and catching them again. He had stayed with Hermione all weekend, her family accepting him without hesitation after his and Draco's slight confrontation at dinner Thursday. Severus had woken up Friday afternoon, and despite Hermione and Draco's protests, was walking around the house with the help of a cane by the next morning. George and Teddy had taken it upon themselves to trick Spencer into eating their Canary Creams before running away from Hermione's wand point after. Teddy took it upon himself to hug her and tell her about how sorry he was, that George had made him do it. Of course, she forgave him immediately and he sent the redhead a triumphant smirk over her shoulder.

He had seen the library in its entirety.

It was like nothing he had ever seen, the magically enlarged room rivaling the rest of the large house. She showed him the old newspaper clippings, which he found fascinating as the pictures moved. So far he found it to be among his favorite discoveries. Another favorite he found was chocolate frogs. He wasn't usually much of a candy person, but he found the Wizarding treat to be delicious.

Morgan watched his friend sit down and log into his computer. There had been a bounce in his step that he had never seen from the younger man. He even whistled. He stayed suspicious of Spencer's girlfriend, despite how happy she obviously made him. He wasn't even sure why he was so negative toward her. There was just something about her information they had found that bothered him, but he kept it to himself- not wanting to damper the other man's mood. Or a damper on their friendship which he was sure would occur if he brought up his thoughts.

"Morning, Pretty Boy," he greeted his friend.

Spencer smiled at him, throwing Morgan off just slightly. "Good morning, Morgan. Did you know; Monday is the best day to buy a car, as the majority of sales are made on weekend and sellers expect less successful sale on the day, and as a result – more willing to make discounts?"

Morgan blinked a few times. "No, I can't say I did. Are you buying a car?"

"Of course not, I don't drive. It was just something Hermione told me this morning. It's fairly interesting."

Morgan felt like he was witnessing invasion of the body snatchers. "I see. You know, you should introduce your girl to us. Let us meet her."

Spencer smiled again. "You know, I think I may talk to her about that. She found you amusing when you called her with my phone."

He was like this all day, just content with the world. Spencer did have a lot on his mind, one of them being that ghost from Hermione's past that was on his way to hurting the new people he had met and had become quickly attached to. He had written his mother about Hermione- obviously leaving out her being a witch. When he left work, he headed back to Hermione's, the two of them more or less in silent agreement that he was just staying there for the moment. Draco, Severus, and Remus had all gone back to Britain to aide in the search, though no one was all that happy that Severus was going back.

"Afternoon, Luna," he said as he opened the shop door to bring Hermione a flower. She was feeling slightly guilty about taking a temporary leave of absence from the school while they tried to find Selwyn and whomever was helping him.

"Hello, Spencer." She said in her dreamy voice. She was starting to show more each week. Today, she absolutely glowed, a flower garland in her golden hair and her white dress flowing down to her ankles. "A purple hyacinth?"

"No, I want to get her different flowers on occasion. I'm thinking, a gilly-flower. Maybe a scarlet one." Meaning lasting beauty and bonds of affection, but no doubt she would know that. Spencer paid, against Luna's insistence he didn't, and went to his Hermione.

She was in the library when he got there, books piled on various tables, open to pages, her hair sticking out every which way, and she was pacing in a weaving pattern around them as she thought- a quill and parchment charmed to follow and make notes as she went along. He snuck up and kissed her cheek, handing her the flower. She smiled and kissed him as a thank you.

"What are you looking up?" He asked, his hand making a motion toward the huge mess she made of that corner of the library.

Hermione sighed and collapsed into a chair. "There's a connection," she said vaguely before clarifying. "They used a bomb, killed these people by mostly Muggle means and displayed them. I am trying to use the connections of how they died to how they offended Selwyn and make an educated guess as to his next victims.

"What kind of connections?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

She stared into the unlit fireplace. "Mr. Lovegood. He was poisoned."

"I don't follow."

"During the Horcrux Hunt, we went to his house in hopes of more information about the deathly hallows. We got it, but the Death Eaters had taken Luna with a deal of letting her go in exchange for us. He served us tea during the entire visit, insisting we needed more tea when we finished. Obviously we escaped."

"So he was poisoned for not being able to capture you with the assistance of tea." Spencer said. "What about the others?"

Hermione went to one of the tables and pulled out a stack of pictures. The first of Xenophilius Lovegood. The second of Andromeda Tonks, nee Black. "Mrs. Tonks was," she faltered, "she was raped and decapitated. She was disowned from a traditionally Dark family for marrying and conceiving a child with a Muggle."

Spencer's gut churned at this one in particular. She handed him one of an older man and a goat, obviously taken when the person wasn't looking. "Aberfoth Dumbledore. Gunshot to the back of the head, and the bullet went through a portrait of his and Albus Dumbledore's sister, Ariana. That was the portrait he used to sneak us into the castle just before the Final Battle."

The last picture was of Ron. He was standing with Hermione and Harry at the anniversary of the ending of the war. The camera flashed and he had snuck a glance at her, a smile on his face. Spencer felt guilty looking at this, the young man's affection for her clear, and yet being very happy it hadn't worked out between them.

"Drowned," Hermione whispered.

"Connection?"

She shook her head with glassy eyes. "The only thing I can think of is our fourth year."

"When he was part of the second challenge for Harry." She nodded. "Who all would know about these instances?"

She worried her brow and thought. "The Tournament was very well publicized, and Andromeda's being cast from her family is fairly common knowledge. Selwyn being a Death Eater at the time would know about Luna's father." Then she frowned. "Only the three of us and whoever was in the Room of Requirement would know about the portrait and Dumbledore though. We never mentioned that in any interviews or for any books."

Spencer nodded. "Then someone there must be on his side in this."

She wanted to deny it, but knew there wasn't any other option. "I can make a list of the names and tell you about the people themselves."

"Okay, but we have to fix this mess. There is a better way."

Spencer put up the last picture on the board, similar to those he and his teams used to organize their cases, and Hermione finished her list to go over with Spencer. Together they crossed out people such as Luna and Neville, etc. A lot of the people she didn't really have much to say about. Cho was a jealous girl who defended Marietta after she betrayed the DA, but she was touring with her new husband. Hermione didn't put much stock into it being her. She wasn't even there that day. Marietta had taken refuge in the ROR, but after Hermione's curse, she was very successful with a line of cosmetics. Zacharias Smith had died in the Final Battle, protecting a first year who had somehow been left behind at the castle. She gave him a bit of info on each of the people in both the DA, and whomever had been in the room when they came through the portrait.

They weren't much closer to finding out who it was, there still being over a dozen people yet to be crossed from the list, but it was getting late into the evening.

"Morgan and the team want to meet you," Spencer told her, kissing her shoulder as she made them tea. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to before I gave an answer."

"That sounds great," she said truthfully. "Maybe it will help me clear my head for a better perspective."

He smiled. "Maybe we could meet them out for that fair coming up; it starts this weekend."

"I know, I had Teddy begging me to go."

"Bring him." He said.

As soon as he said it, a jolt hit her and she thought she was going to throw up. She frowned and blinked hard a few times to clear the sensation that hit her. "Yeah, I think he would enjoy that," but the uneasiness didn't subside.

"I love you," he told her again, wanting to keep saying it.

She smiled finally, "I love you."

Then Remus was there. He found her and Spencer still in the kitchen and sighed heavily- looking as though he felt every one of his forty-five years. Hermione immediately handed him the cup of tea she had made for herself.

"Another one?" Spencer asked.

Remus nodded. "Seamus Finnegan, a-"

"What about Seamus?" George asked, coming in with Luna. He stopped at Remus' face. "No. He-he isn't."

"I'm sorry, George. There was a fire at the shop. Dean was out at the time, but Seamus was stuck in it." George went to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey. Remus wasn't done. "Dennis Creevey," he said. "We found him buried alive, pictures of him bloodied in there with him."

Hermione took a glass from George and drank it. "He wasn't even nineteen," she said. "He was supposed to visit for his birthday. Please tell me there's no one else."

"Not as of this moment," Remus said, "but Kingsley has officially called the Order together. Before it was just each of us helping out, but he is calling a meeting together tomorrow night. He is advising that those who exclusively fought with the Light always be on their guard."

"This is getting out of hand, what are the Aurors doing?" George asked angrily. "Having a nice cuppa?"

Remus looked even more tired at this. "They're doing their best, George. We all are. He's nowhere."

Hermione seemed to find the empty glass in her hand very interesting as she said, "We think one of the Light might be helping him."

"Who would ever help him?"

She looked at George and Luna. "We found a connection to why they are dying in the ways they are. Like Dumbledore being shot in front of the portrait and Ariana destroyed."

"No one knew about that except-"

"Those who were in the room."

"And those that used it after, but that was only the Order. We crossed most, if not all, from the list of them. We have just over a dozen we haven't."

Remus sighed heavily. "Then this is worse than we thought. It's just like the first war, not being able to trust anyone."

"Let's not make a mistake this time," Hermione said absently. He flinched and nodded.

"I'm going to go kiss Teddy and head back. George, they'll be wanting to talk to you."

George nodded. "I can ask if Harry will watch the store for me and I will come around tomorrow morning."

Remus thanked him. "Well, good night all then." And left.

 **A/N: And BOOM! Here it is. Chapter seven. Hope you like it as things are about to go down. Can you guess who the traitor is? If you message me I will tell, but only if you want to know and don't comment it to spoil it for others. I have also started the David Rossi is Hermione's father story, it's called Belonging to Fairytales, and it is another Hermione/Spencer story. I also started a series of one shots for Derek Morgan and Hermione. Feel free to check them out! Let me know your comments in the towel section below and adieu until next time. Love always, Skye.**


	8. Careless

**Chapter eight: Careless**

 **The day of the fair arrived and Hermione's nerves hadn't got any better. She held Teddy close to her, feeling like she was going to get sick everywhere. She had placed a charm on him that parents used to keep track of their children and Spencer had done something, but she wasn't sure what. Teddy didn't care though, as they walked from the car park to the front entrance. Once inside with their armbands, he couldn't decided what to ride first. This was much different from anything in the Wizarding World. The first thing he rode was the some car thing that went in a circle. He rode it with a disappointed look and insisted they move toward the bigger side of the field.**

 **"** **Teddy!"**

 **Hermione pulled him closer and resisted the urge to pull out her wand as they turned around. It was Teddy's friend from school, Henry, running toward them with full steam.**

 **"** **Hello, Miss Hermione." He looked at Spencer and gasped excitedly. Spencer grinned and bent down to his level.**

 **"** **Hey there, Mr. Profiler."**

 **"** **You know Miss Hermione?"**

 **Spencer looked at Hermione. She laughed. "I'm his teacher."**

 **"** **I didn't know."**

 **"** **Spencer is Aunt Mi's boyfriend," Teddy told his friend. "I caught them kissing."**

 **"** **Eww," Henry scrunched his face up.**

 **Then there was JJ and the team. "Henry! Don't run away like that." She stood and looked between Spencer and Hermione. "Oh my God, I didn't even see that."**

 **"** **What?" Morgan asked.**

 **"** **Hermione is apparently Henry's teacher," Spencer answered. Then to her, "Henry is my godson."**

 **She laughed. "Small world isn't it?"**

 **Morgan stuck his hand out for her to shake. "Derek Morgan."**

 **"** **I gathered. Hermione Granger."**

 **Then she was swooped into a hug by Garcia. "You are just adorable, I want to put you in my pocket."**

 **Hermione smiled and gestured to Teddy. "This is my godson, Teddy Lupin."**

 **"** **Henry just won't stop talking about you, young man." JJ told him.**

 *****

 **Hermione and Teddy went around with Henry and the team, watching the kids ride the rides and play the games. Spencer used physics to win them both a stuffed animal. Teddy insisted on the bear- no surprise there, and Henry had received a blue duck. Spencer watched Hermione with Teddy and wondered if she had ever wanted kids of her own.**

 **"** **You have to eat something else, little bear. Not just junk food."**

 **"** **Why not?" He whined.**

 **"** **Because I am not going to have you bouncing off the walls when we get home."**

 **Teddy sighed heavily. "What's a corndog?"**

 **"** **It's a hotdog wrapped in breading," JJ told him, trying to help Hermione out. She had always liked her as her son's teacher and was really liking her now outside of school.**

 **"** **What's a hotdog?" JJ stared at him in shock.**

 **Hermione bit her lip. "How about some chips? And maybe a hamburger."**

 **Teddy nodded, resigned.**

 **"** **What do you see?" Hotch asked Rossi, having no idea why they were dragged into this outing.**

 **Rossi watched the Brit closely. "She's nervous. Something has her spooked and she keeps looking over her shoulder and pulling the boy closer to her. Like she's afraid he'll be taken, but he doesn't act like she kidnapped him. And Spencer's met the father."**

 **"** **What is someone of her intelligence doing working as a kindergarten teacher?"**

 **"** **Maybe she just likes kids."**

 **"** **I don't know," Hotch said. "There's something not right about her."**

 **"** **Who? Hermione?" Morgan asked, interrupting their conversation. "I know, right?"**

 **"** **What do you think?"**

 **Morgan watch the woman twirl the boy around with a forced smile. "I know she's a bigwig in her own country. Queen knighted her and her friends when they were still teenagers. Spencer thinks the world of her, and the kid."**

 **"** **Knighted?" Rossi asked.**

 **"** **Something about a terrorist in the nineties. Also, she just dropped off the face of the Earth at eleven. Spencer said she went to a boarding school, but there's nothing about it that Pen can find."**

 **"** **Huh."**

 **Hermione watched Teddy and Henry get on a ride together, a ride called the Himalayas that went one way really fast and then went backwards. Hotch found it odd that she was young and yet, still didn't ride anything so far. Maybe she was waiting for after the kids were tired like the others, but something told him that wasn't the case. She looked like she was expecting an attack. Spencer leaned over and whispered something in her ear and she relaxed, leaning into him.**

 **Spencer could feel the tension rolling off of her, and knew the others had to be suspicious as well.**

 **"** **Love, you have to relax. It's okay." She forced herself to calm down and lean against him. He kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her.**

 **The ride stopped and she stepped forward with a plastered smile, ready for Teddy to come running toward her in excitement. But he didn't. Her face hardened.**

 **"** **Teddy?" She called, but everyone was off of the ride and people were starting to file on. "TEDDY?" She went to the man in the box of controls. "Excuse me, sir, my nephew never got off the ride."**

 **"** **I saw the two kids go-" He started to point, but was cut off.**

 **There was a shriek and Hermione ran towards as fast as she could, everyone else following her, and found Henry laying in the grass bawling with a small bloody gash on his head.**

 **"** **Oh my God! Henry," JJ moved to grab her son. "What happened, did you fall?"**

 **"** **Where's Teddy?" Hermione asked seriously. He didn't say anything, crying to hard. "Where's Teddy?"**

 **Spencer knelt beside her. "Henry, can you tell us where Teddy is?"**

 **"** **Th-the-the man took him, he-he said to r-remember the fight of minstry or something. Said you would know. They went that way." He pointed ahead, and Hermione ran in that direction despite knowing they had probably Apparated away already.**

 **"** **NOO!" She yelled and found her way back to Spencer, about to have a panic attack. "He's gone. They took him. He's gone."**

 **She started crying and he put his arms around her. "We should go to the front where they did that thing if you lose your kid." Rossi suggested, bothered beyond anything at some strange feeling in his gut.**

 **"** **You don't understand." She mumbled. "They're already gone. He-he-"**

 **"** **Selwyn?" Spencer asked.**

 **Hermione shook her head. "Dolohov, the Battle at the Ministry. The Department of Mysteries."**

 **"** **And now he has Teddy. We have to Floo Remus." Hermione cried harder and nodded. "Hermione, love, stop. You can cry later, but right now you have to find him, ok?"**

 **"** **What's going on? We need to call the police."**

 **"** **No!" Hermione said firmly. "Calling the police would only hinder the search. There's nothing they can do." She turned to Spencer. "I have to obliviate them."**

 **"** **Wait," he asked. "You can trust them. Like you trusted me."**

 **"** **If I don't, Kingsley will have to later. You he can over look, but not them. We're losing time."**

 **"** **You can't tell me no law has ever found out."**

 **She nodded. "If they come across anything once or twice then they're obliviated. Anything beyond that and they leave them with the memories."**

 **"** **Leave them for now and let's just get them to the house."**

 **Hermione sniffed again, stood up straight, and Spencer was looking at Hermione Granger, war hero. "I need you all to hold your questions until we get to my place, but it is very important that no one else gets involved. Morgan, you and Hotch ride with me. Spencer, go with Rossi."**

 **"** **Why are we coming with you?" Morgan growled angrily as she lead them to the car park without another word. He didn't trust her.**

 **"** **Because you don't trust me. And I don't trust either of you not to call the authorities on the drive. I also don't trust Rossi not to which is why Spencer is with him."**

 **"** **Then why not let one of us ride with them?"**

 **Hermione scoffed. "I'm not letting you do anything. You are curious and hero-complex oriented enough to feel obligated to come. I'm keeping two of you with me so you feel better about not trusting me so you could take me out if need be."**

 **"** **Could we?"**

 **"** **No."**

 *****

 **Harry, Luna, George, Ginny, and Seren were in the living room watching a movie when she threw the door open. Astoria and Draco had found the distance to be too hard to bear and she had returned home.**

 **"** **Hey," Harry said, reluctantly looking away from the telly. "Did you guys have- where's Teddy?"**

 **The tears threatened to come back and he stood up. "Dolohov. He-he took him. He was on a ride and then he wasn't there." George stood up and moved to the fireplace as Seren went to the kitchen to make tea and Ginny moved toward Hermione. No one was at Grimmauld Place.**

 **"** **Where's Spencer?"**

 **"** **Here," Spencer said as he and everyone else moved inside. He pulled Hermione into his arms and kissed her. "It's going to be okay. We'll find him. Alive. I promise."**

 **"** **What's going on?" Hotch asked.**

 **George threw the powder into the fire and shouted, "Malfoy Manor."**

 **The fire flashed green and everyone else gasped. "George?" Draco asked.**

 **"** **Draco! Where's Remus?"**

 **"** **What is going on?" Morgan demanded.**

 **"** **He's at the Ministry I think, patrolling."**

 **"** **They took Teddy. Dolohov. He has Teddy."**

 **"** **Dolohov? I'll go find him. I'm sending Astoria through."**

 **Hotch and Rossi were observing the scene, both confused and worried. He was talking to the fire and it was talking back. With a face.**

 **"** **And Draco?"**

 **"** **What else?" He asked in a snit.**

 **"** **We have a problem with Spencer's friends."**

 **"** **I told you that would end badly!"**

 **Then there was a woman stepping through the fire in her dressing gown and all hell broke loose. Seren brought out tea, but everyone was talking at once.**

 **"** **Excuse me," a dreamy voice cut through. Everyone stopped and looked at this pregnant angel-like woman who looked little more than a girl. "It's obvious, of course. It's magic."**

 *****

 **Remus ran, panting heavily, as he and the others were being attacked. There were those Muggle bombs going off all over the Ministry and he pulled Severus out of the way just in time to escape a crumbling wall- not unlike the one he watched kill Fred. Then curses were being thrown at them both. Severus went down with a stunner that he would have blocked easily were he in better health.**

 **The form dueling him caught him with a hex and he dodged it, his leg caught under a falling piece of rubble. The other person lifted their wand, no doubt with the killing curse on their lips when they were stopped by a shout that Remus thought he recognized. A female voice.**

 **"** **That's Lupin." Lupin. He knew it had to be an old student, it was something about how they said his name.**

 **"** **I bloody well know who it is," his attacker bit out.**

 **"** **I told you he was not to be harmed. Kill him and I will kill you. Dolohov has it."**

 **The man above him looked down at him in disgust. The girl stepped forward as he left. "Bring us Potter, professor. Bring us Harry and Hermione and we'll let him go. I don't want to have to hurt him."**

 **"** **Who?" He asked hoarsely, but she walked away. "WHO?"**

 **Then as he dragged Severus to the others, Draco approached him with short breaths. "Teddy, they took Teddy."**

 **A/N: Aah! I'm not sure that I am happy with this chapter, but there you are. Our story is starting to wind down. Love always, Skye.**


	9. Caught

**Chapter nine: Caught**

 **"SHUT IT!" Ginny yelled into the room of conflicted magicals and Muggles. They had immediately began trying to talk over one another after Luna's bomb drop... and refused to listen to anything. She hoped that by getting their attention again that she could put this to rest. At least until after they had found Teddy. "Yes. Hermione is a witch. So am I and so is Luna. Harry and George are wizards. I need you all to accept this now and fast because we have a little boy kidnapped by a psychopath." They looked like they wanted to argue some more. "Merlin help me, if you all start talking again I will hex you all. Now SIT DOWN, please."**

 **The last word was whispered and everyone took seats, some on the floor and some on the furniture where there was room. Hermione perched herself on the arm of the couch next to Spencer, admiring the way Ginny suddenly became Mrs. Weasley. Even Dumbledore had seemed frightened of her. She also vaguely imagined sending McGonagall, Mrs. Weasley, and Madame Pomfrey out in a war against Voldemort rather than the children they had. Even he would run away she was sure.**

 **"** **Hermione, if you please. What happened?" Even Harry looked frightened of his fiance, and no one blamed him.**

 **She slid down into Spencer's lap. "Teddy went on a ride with his friend and when it stopped, he wasn't there. We found Henry who said to remember the Ministry. Dolohov took him. I know it. I just don't know what they're going to do with them or where he is. I placed a mother charm on him, but I think they dispelled it."**

 **"** **Hang on," Spencer said. "I gave him my phone and taught him how to call if anything happened. I even changed Hermione's name in the contacts to Aunt Mi. I think we can track or see if he calls."**

 **Astoria shook her head. "No, they would have paralyzed him first thing. Teddy would have fought. Especially if he had a Muggle with him. How can you track him?"**

 **"** **Do any of you have a computer?" Garcia asked in a quiet, but at the same time fast, voice. "I can track him with Reid's phone if I can get to a computer."**

 **"** **Hermione has one," Luna said. "It's hidden in her third drawer from the right underneath her parents memorabilia."**

 **Hermione and Spencer both just looked at her. "Right," Hermione said, still looking suspiciously at her friend. "Follow me."**

 **She and Spencer led them all upstairs to her room, the team gasping at different times about the moving pictures. Hermione was thankful her room was big enough to have all thirteen people crowded around the desk where she set up the laptop she had. Garcia's fingers flew across the keys and she pulled up several tabs and shut down them all but one. A green dot on the map, blinking slowly over Great Britain. Hogsmeade.**

 **"** **Why is he being kept in the middle of no where?" Morgan asked. "And how did they get there so fast?"**

 **Hermione jolted at that. Hogsmeade. He was ending this at Hogwarts, where it ended over five years ago. He was hoping to win this time. "Not nowhere," she told him. "Hogsmeade, the only completely Magical community. Just outside of Hogwarts."**

 **"** **He's going back," George said. "He wants to win where Voldemort couldn't."**

 **"** **Who's Voldemort?"**

 **That was when three people came into her room as well, Draco, Remus and Severus. Hermione hugged Remus tight, apologizing profusely with tears in her eyes.**

 **"** **I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have taken him out."**

 **"** **Hermione, it isn't your fault," he told her. "I'm just glad you aren't hurt." He pulled away from her. "I need you to look into my memory. I spoke to them. The one who turned is female, but I can't place who it is. She called me professor."**

 **Hermione nodded and went over to pull her pensieve from under her bed. She laid in on the desk beside the laptop and handed the laptop to Garcia to move so they could enter the memory.**

 **"** **Why would she call you professor?"**

 **Spencer answered, "Remus is Teddy's father. He also used to be a professor at her boarding school when she was thirteen. He taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. This means that whoever it was would have to be at the school during that time, but not close to him after if she still calls him professor."**

 **"** **I think she was in Hermione's year." Remus told them. "And she stopped Selwyn from killing me, told him that she would kill him if he did."**

 **Spencer and the team watched as Hermione, Harry, and Remus entered the memory, placing their face on the surface of the shimmery blue water. When they came out, Hermione immediately went over to a book on her shelf that Spencer recognized as her scrapbook.**

 **"** **Lavender Brown!" She said. "It's Lavender Brown. That's why she saved your life."**

 **"** **I never even talked to her though," Remus remarked.**

 **Hermione shook her head, flipping to the picture with a pretty blonde girl around sixteen leaning in to kiss Ron behind where someone was trying to take a picture of Ginny and Harry. "Fenrir Greyback attacked her at the Final Battle. He almost killed her, but you killed him first. In her eyes you saved her life."**

 **"** **And," Spencer added. "She probably feels connected to you because you were both turned by him. You know what she goes through. We may be able to use this actually."**

 **"** **We have to warn McGonagall," Harry said.**

 **Draco made a face. "Why?"**

 **"** **Because Teddy is in Hogsmeade," Astoria told him. "Oh! On his way to Hogwarts. Look."**

 **She pointed to the blinking dot that was moving. Severus took a step closer. "Right, everyone downstairs. Now."**

 **"** **Why would Lavender turn though," Spencer asked in the library, the only Floo connected to Hogwarts. Morgan didn't question anymore why Spencer loved her with all of these books. "Wasn't she with Ron? That's-"**

 **He stopped, but Hermione didn't. "Yes, she's why we broke up. But she didn't know we were still together. I heard afterwards that he had told her we had split."**

 **"** **She just lost a baby," Draco said. "I was her Healer. There was something wrong and she lost the baby. She implied that the father hadn't wanted it anyway, but she was understandably distraught."**

 **Draco was very obviously unsure about being in the same vicinity of so many Muggles at one time. Hermione gasped. "Ron. Lavender was talking about Ron, I know it."**

 **"** **That's sufficient cause for a betrayal," Hotch said. "If she blamed Ron for losing her baby."**

 *****

 **JJ, Garcia, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi were all in awe when they stepped into the green fire and suddenly appeared in Hogwarts.**

 **"** **This is where you went to school?" Garcia asked.**

 **There was an older woman, her hair in a tight bun and her lips tightened. "Muggles?"**

 **Spencer was through next. "Yes, all Muggles. Hermione told me to inform you that there are Death Eaters in Hogsmeade with Teddy. At least three, one of which being Lavender Brown."**

 **Then the others came through. "Hermione, what is the meaning of all of these Muggles? Do you know what the Board would do if they discovered Muggles in Hogwarts?"**

 **Hermione hugged the woman. "Sorry, Professor McGonagall. This is important. Teddy is in Hogsmeade and we have to get to him."**

 **"** **And we think he's coming to Hogwarts. We need to get all of the students to their dorms to stay there. Hermione has a ward to keep them in and everyone else out."**

 **McGonagall nodded, not questioning if they were telling the truth, and motioned for them to follow her. She led them out of the office and down corridors. It took a moment for Rossi to realize why everyone was still awake at such a late hour, forgetting and then remembering the time difference. Students were all heading to the Great Hall for lunch, staring at the Muggles who were noticeable by their clothes. Then,**

 **"** **Is that Harry Potter?"**

 **"** **HARRY POTTER!"**

 **"** **Oh, Hermione, I'm such a huge fan. What was it like?"**

 **"** **Can I get a picture?"**

 **"** **Your girl's famous," Morgan whispered to Spencer, trying to make a joke and relieve the gloom.**

 **Spencer nodded, knowing this. "That's because she and Harry more or less saved the world."**

 **Whatever Morgan was expecting, it wasn't that statement as they entered an large hall with five long tables- four parallel, and one to the front for teachers that wrapped around. Most people were sitting already and when one teacher saw them, he ran over.**

 **"** **Seren," the girl in question hugged him and gave him a kiss. "Hermione, what's going on?"**

 **McGonagall called for everyone's attention. "Lunch, today will be served in your dormitories and classes for the rest of the day are canceled. If Prefects would please lead your Houses back to your common rooms, there will be no leaving until you are retrieved."**

 **This began a wave of complaints and refusals. "ENOUGH!" Everyone stopped and focused their attention back to their scary Headmistress. "Your Heads of Houses will be along soon to make sure you're there. Everyone had better be, or you will be out of Hogwarts before you can regret your decision to be dunderheads."**

 **At this, everyone who did and had in the past had his class, and many of his ex colleagues, looked to Severus who merely sneered. He had taken a brief vacation to help in the search. When the students were gone everyone else gathered around McGonagall, but it was Hermione who gave the orders.**

 **"** **Luna, you take Seren and the others to the Room of Requirement. Take this," she took the Marauders Map from Harry, with a sad and nostalgic smile from Remus, and gave it to Luna. "I trust you remember how to use it." She nodded. "Good, now Lavender may or may not have told them about so keep that in mind. If you find them and Teddy, send your Patronus."**

 **Spencer stepped over and pulled Hermione into his arms, kissing her for all he was worth. "I'm coming with you," he said breathlessly. "And don't-" he interrupted her interruption with a finger on her lips, "even try to stop me. I love you, and I'm coming with you."**

 **"** **Spencer, they would hurt you."**

 **"** **Only if I give them the chance."**

 **Hermione nodded. "Okay, but on one condition."**

 *****

 **"** **Do I really have to wear this?" A disembodied voice asked.**

 **"** **No one can see you through that, so yes."**

 **"** **Moody could," Spencer said to be difficult.**

 **"** **Moody's dead," Hermione reminded him and efficiently cutting off any other arguments. A silvery hare bounded around a corner to her.**

 ** _"_** ** _Hermione, Teddy is alone, on the Astronomy Tower. But, Lavender is near by on patrol and Harry and Ginny are on the way over to him- oh dear- there are three students near you in the Charms classroom. Emma Davies, Hunter Ross, and Garrett Jume."_**

 **Hermione had a flashback to twelve years before in a position not unlike the students tonight, crying alone in the girls lavatory. She turned right and put a silent charm around she and Spencer on the way.**

 **"** **Teddy is alone on the Astronomy Tower, but there are students over here."**

 **She opened the door to Flitwick's class and Spencer was again in awe that this was a school, with more than just a pinch of jealousy.**

 **"** **Lumos," Hermione whispered. "Hello? Emma? Hunter? Garrett?" There was no answer, but a sound in one corner. "Hi, I'm Hermione Granger and I need to get you all to your dorms."**

 **A brown head poked out at her name and he crawled out and walked over cautiously. He was a Slytherin. He was followed by a girl with short, bushy blonde curls and another boy whose glasses were crooked. The wave of nostalgia hit her hard at the three Slytherins. All first years. "It was my fault, Miss Granger," Emma told her, looking at her hands. "I was being a spoiled brat and decided to roam the castle rather than come to lunch. Hunter and Garrett only came to warn me that something was going on."**

 **Hermione smiled and Spencer noticed the parallels between these three and the beginning of the Golden Trio. The first boy looked guilty when Emma said this and Hermione knelt down to look her in the eye. "Well, Emma, you three are very lucky you didn't come across someone else. Five points from Gryffindor, and ten to the two of you, each, for sheer dumb luck."**

 **She stood and motioned for them to stay quiet, thinking to herself. She couldn't leave them here, but she couldn't send them on their own to the dungeons. She didn't know where Severus was.**

 **"** **Expecto patronum," her saucy otter erupted from the tip and swam around until she gave it the message for Severus and Remus. "Severus, I have three first year Slytherins in the Charms classroom."**

 **She sent it off and turned back to the students, who now looked terrified. "Don't worry," she told them. "I will talk to him on your behalf." Then, as they waited, "You know, our story, how Harry, Ron and I became friends was never published. You see, it was Halloween our first year and I was such a know-it -all... "**

 **Severus and Remus came in towards the end. "You know, I always wondered what the real story was," Severus said. "We found Selwyn and he's Petrified in a bathroom. Harry and Ginny have Teddy and Lavender, who stopped fighting. Now all that is left is Dolohov. Luna said they were the only ones."**

 **Then he turned to his students. "I should expel all of you," he spat. "Roaming around like bloody Gryffindors." Hermione glared at him and he stopped. "However, I think that a collective detention with Hagrid would be sufficient. Along with whatever amount of points Granger has taken."**

 **Hermione blushed, knowing that Severus knew she gave more points than she had taken. He always knew. Spencer had taken off the cloak when they entered the classroom. "Now we just have to find Dolohov. Where is he?"**

 **"** **Luna couldn't find him," Remus said. "He might not have come to the school. He may have stayed in Hogsmeade."**

 **"** **Let's get these students to the dungeons then."**

 **"** **Isn't that a bit harsh?" Spencer asked.**

 **Hermione chuckled. "That's where the Slytherin dorms are. And the Potions classroom."**

 **"** **Oh."**

 **Everyone walked in a group towards the Room of Requirement where they were meeting the others. Spencer pulled Hermione back where they walked a few feet behind everyone else.**

 **"** **So," he said. "this is Hogwarts?"**

 **"** **Yes, this is where I spent my school days from the age of eleven to seventeen. It's amazing isn't it? Like coming home."**

 **Spencer watched her and felt his palms sweat. Two months. They had known each other two months. He felt the weight in his pocket weighing down each step as he remembered sitting down with the men in her family, though mostly talking to Harry, when he asked for a blessing.**

 **"** **Hermione," he asked. She hummed, lost in thought. "I love you."**

 **"** **I love you, Spencer," she sighed happily, feeling like a ton had been lifted from her shoulders with the safety of Teddy. Her hand was folded with Spencer's and she leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked.**

 **"** **Then marry me."**

 **She stopped. "What?"**

 **Spencer could feel the others watching as well. "Hermione, I love you. I had meant to ask you after the carnival tonight, but obviously..." he trailed off before clearing his throat and pulling the ring from his pocket. "I won't ask that you stop teaching, because I know you love it. I won't ask for children right away, or even at all. I'd much rather adopt and only when you decide you want to. I won't ask for anything you don't want. I will always be there for you, beside you, and as equals. Please, will you marry me?"**

 **Hermione stared at him with teary eyes and a smile. "Did you know that forty percent of couples have a thirteen to eighteen month engagement?" He nodded. "I think that's too long."**

 **And then she kissed him.**

 **A/N: I will be doing an epilogue after, but I think I am done. I really hope you liked this. Apparently there was some confusion in my chapter starting Walking Away Clean. So, Cob, Chloe, if you are reading this- I have no intention of stopping fanfiction all together. I'm too obsessed for that. I will be finishing all of my fanfics. I may take a break of crossovers for a little bit after finishing the ones I have, but I doubt it. That's all I meant by it. Let me know what you think about the chapter in the towel section down below. Love always, Skye.**


	10. Cycle

**Chapter ten: Cycle**

 **Ophelia Perdita Reid was born a year after her parents were married on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the backyard of the house they shared with their closest friends. Her brother, Gideon Remus Reid, was adopted two years after; a studious boy in opposition to the trouble-maker Ophelia was known for being. Just over a year after Gideon, the Hufflepuff of the family came.**

 **Ophelia looked much like Hermione, though her hair was more curly than bushy. She had her mother and father's sharp intellect, but would rather be pranking with her Uncle George and cousin Teddy than reading in some library. She had her father wrapped around her finger from the time they found out. At three, everyone knew she crushed hard on her cousin's friend Henry. She replaced her Uncle Draco's shampoo with blue hair-dye at seven, and by five they had known she was not to be entering Hogwarts or any other magical school. Despite the gnawing jealousy she often felt deep in her abdomen, she never failed to be excited for her brother when he received his letter.**

 **Gideon, or as Ophelia called him, Gilly, would spend all day in the library if he could. Or occasionally, outside to document the various birds he could find. He was very close to his younger sister, Ginevra Penelope Reid. He and Eve would go outside together to find birds, look at different plants, and avoid Lia the Prankster at all costs. He hadn't really had any bursts of accidental magic, but none the less he received a Hogwarts letter at eleven and set out to the school his mother and aunts and uncles all attended. He was sorted into Ravenclaw, not a surprise to anyone, though his godfather Severus was still holding out for Slytherin. His best friend, from birth and beyond, Lily Potter was sorted in Gryffindor, and their other friend, Alice Longbottom was sorted to Hufflepuff. Teddy was sure to look out for them, Fred and Xeno Weasley, and Scorpius Malfoy as well, from his place in Slytherin. Severus never let anyone forget that from his first year and often smirked at random over it.**

 **Ginevra Penelope Reid, or Eve, grew to be a sweet girl from the moment she was born and adopted into their family. She was the keeper of the peace in arguments between her siblings, and her Uncle Harry's favorite everyone joked. She loved to paint and help in her godmother's flower shop, always coming home with injured birds and other animals that just followed her.**

 **Hermione and Spencer knew how lucky they were with their family and children, having married five months after she kissed him in the corridor outside of the Charms classroom. The BAU attended, having been taken rather quickly into the family and finding Morgan and Garcia's son, Spencer, to be a Muggleborn wizard in James Sirius Potter's year. They watched their children grow into amazing adults and start families of their own. Henry and Ophelia married first, then Teddy and Alice in spite of the ten year age difference. Then it was Lily and Gideon's turn. And last, Eve and Scorpius.**

 **They watched their children become parents they were proud to have raised, their grandchildren become the next young ones, their family only growing.**

 **A/N: Sorry it's so short. But ta-da! Whew. Love always, Skye**


	11. Conclusion

Chapter eleven: Conclusion

"Oh! You look gorgeous!"

Hermione smiled in the mirror at JJ who had just come in with Emily and Henry. Penelope had already arrived to help with Hermione's hair, which she now had respect for- never having known how bushy it was before being tamed. She glanced at herself and her sleek, elegant gown that she had chosen the month before. Her maid of honor, Ginny, bounced around in her plum dress and ivory sash- loving telling people where they needed to be and what they needed to be doing.

"You look really nice, Miss Hermione," Henry said.

She grinned and turned around, bending to kiss his cheek. "Thank you very much, Henry. You know, I think Teddy is with the guys down the hall if you want to go find him."

His face brightened and he ran out in search after a look of approval from his mother. Then she took a deep breath. She could do this.

"Nervous?" Luna said more as a statement than a question, but Hermione nodded anyway.

"Don't be," Penelope told her. "You and our Junior G-man are perfect together and now you get to live happily ever after. Oh, you two are just so cute."

"Here," Luna said, placing a baby in Hermione's arms. "Hold Fred Jr, it'll make you feel better."

Hermione looked down into the sleeping baby's face and softened her own. A week ago, she found out she was pregnant and she and Spencer couldn't be happier. They had decided that this would be their only biological child. Spencer was so afraid of passing the gene of his mother's illness to their children, but Hermione would never forget his face when she told him.

 _"_ _Spencer, I'm home." She entered their room where he had moved in and there he was on the bed reading one of the many books they had._

 _He sat up. "Well, what did the doctor say?"_

 _"_ _I'm not sick?"_

 _"_ _Is he sure? You've been throwing up for the past week. And tired and- I was sure it was something coronary artery disease."_

 _"_ _They tested me, Spencer."_

 _"_ _And Fibromyalgia?"_

 _"_ _Love? I'm pregnant."_

 _He stopped, his worried face frozen and his eyes widening as he realized what she was saying and he wondered how he didn't see it. "What?"_

 _She was nervous. They had talked about kids. She had met his mother. She had told him about the torture she sustained in the Malfoy Manor and how it could complicate any pregnancy. "I'm pregnant," she said quieter._

 _His face slowly broke out into a grin. "You're pregnant," then louder, "you're pregnant! We're gonna have a baby!" Then he stopped in terror. "We're going to have a baby."_

 _She nodded. "We're going to have a baby. You're going to be a father."_

 _Spencer ran to her and picked her up, spinning her around before abruptly setting her down and looking down at her stomach worriedly. "Sorry, we have to careful with you."_

 _"_ _Spencer, I'm pregnant- not terminal."_

 _But he wasn't listening as he was on his knees with gentle hands on her lower abdomen. Then he kissed her stomach and whispered, "I love you."_

"Okay," Ginny said, tearing Hermione from the memory with a voice remarkably sounding like her mother's, "It's almost time."

"I can't believe how grown up you all are."

Hermione looked up to her Head of House and mentor and surrogate mother. "Minerva, hi."

"Oh, my girl. I couldn't be prouder."

She felt a bit sad that Molly had returned her invitation. She had told them that while she accepted that this was how things were going to be, she just couldn't come. Hermione understood. Years ago, they all thought this would be she and Ron's day. She looked around the room at her family. They all looked back at her with smiles, some in plum dresses, and some not. There was a knock and Ginny opened it with a smile. Harry stepped into the room and hugged his, for all intents and purposes, sister.

"You look beautiful."

"How's Spencer?"

"Terrified."

She couldn't help but laugh that he was afraid now, in spite of being the opposite a month after he proposed and Dolohov resurfaced.

 _"_ _Put that thing down, boy," the Death Eater had laughed at the gun shaking in Spencer's hand. Behind him was Teddy who had clutched the back of Spencer's shirt tightly, shaking in fear. "Someone could get hurt."_

 _"_ _That's the idea," Spencer had replied. "You will never hurt my family again."_

 _His answer was another cruel chuckle. "The Muggle wants to play!"_

 _The man, ragged after being on the run, raised his wand and a gunshot rang out as he fell to the grass- wetting the ground with blood._

"But, he's okay, right?"

Harry sighed good-naturedly. "Yes, Hermione, he's fine. Morgan's trying to convince him that all he needs is a little liquid courage. I disagreed and suggested a little liquid luck."

He said the last bit in a whisper and Hermione's eyes got bigger. "Harry," she admonished in a shrill whisper. "You didn't!"

And, with the same facial expression he had had that Quidditch morning all those years ago, he said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She grinned and kissed his cheek before hugging him. "Thank you."

"Anytime, you know that. Now, let's get you to your Prince- shall we?" He held his arm out and she took it with a nervous smile.

A very pregnant Astoria went first, followed by Seren, then Penelope who gave a lascivious wink to Spencer's best man Derek Morgan. Then Luna, who smiled serenely at every one as she gracefully glided down the aisle with bare feet. George was another of Spencer's groomsmen, as well as Hotch, Remus, and Draco. Severus stood between the two groups and waited to join their hands. After Ginny, Teddy came with the rings and Bill and Fleur's daughter Victoire came with the flower petals; petals of daffodils, violets, pale primrose, oxlips, and lilies. And then everyone stood.

Harry and Hermione walked down the cleared path of grass, sprinkled with petals. Spencer had never seen her look so beautiful in the setting sun with a glow all her own and a lei of flowers in lieu of a veil, strands of her hair interweaved. When Harry joined her hand with his, he was brought back to the present. He nodded to Harry and walked the three small steps with Hermione to stand in front of Severus.

"Hermione," he said to start his vows at the man's cue, "I think I have been in love with you from the moment you crashed into me. I spouted off some ridiculous statistic and you, you corrected me. I looked at you and that was it. I thought about you the entire way to work and thank any deity you like that Morgan stole my coffee that morning or I might never have known you gave me your number. Or him forcefully taking my phone and dialing it or I might never have called. Things like this, wonderful things like you, don't happen to me. I accepted that and then there you were. I love you more than I ever thought possible for anyone to love- beyond chemistry surging brain elements. I never knew that I was missing something until you threw your boiling hot Earl Grey tea on me on a day that I was already late to work."

"Spencer, I lived through a war. A war that, I didn't think I was going to live through. I had my heart broken and I moved here. I look back and I wonder if maybe I didn't have to go that because without it I would never have found my way to that coffee shop. I wouldn't change a thing. I had been excited that morning, walking instead of driving because I wanted to feel the morning breeze. It's coincidence that you were passing by at that moment. Coincidence or providence. I'm not usually inclined to believe the latter, but here we are and I don't know if it could have been anything else. I love you. I love that you accepted me as I am. You accepted my family and your own accepted me. And now we're starting our own. I love you and I can't wait to open our next chapter."

"And now it is my pleasure," Severus said, looking at Hermione tenderly, "To pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

And he did.

 **A/N: Yay! I finally came back to redo their ending! I REALLY hope you like it. I like it. I know I didn't go into how the team reacted to magic afterwards, but I honestly didn't know how to handle that. Still, much better eh? I love you guys so much! Love the reviews and the support you all show my stories. Speaking of, I'm ending another story soon- I won't tell which one- but it only has a few more chapters. After that, I will be adding one of two stories I have been working on. One doesn't have a name yet. One is Spencer Reid wakes up after being abducted, freaking danger magnet, and finds he wasn't the only one and he and Hermione Granger work on escaping together. The other is one I have never written before.**

 **How many of you read Maximum Ride? I used to LOVE the series. However, I didn't find out until the other day that he wrote another book AFTER Nevermore so I was sitting here all bitter thinking they all just died. I have not read Maximum Ride Forever, and I don't know if I will, but I am writing a criminal minds/maximum ride crossover where Angel must move on after the Flock dies. She is put into foster care, grows up, and joins the FBI and later BAU. An Angel + Spencer romance. Tell me which you would rather see first. Love always, Skye.**


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